Photo Answers

Colour scene

Q I tried shooting tree reflections on my local river so they’d look impressionistic, but all the colours became too indistinct. What did I do wrong?

Kevin Hart

A It sounds to me as though your shutter speed was too long, so the movement of the water meant everything blended together. You can’t predict the perfect shutter speed for this type of shot: it’s dependent on how much the water is moving and, to some degree, what the reflection is. Even though you want something abstract, you still need contrast and form to create a pleasing photo, and this can be provided through colour, light and shade. The longer your shutter speed is, the more movement you will inevitably get, and while it might work as a shot, it should only be your starting point.

For this kind of image, I tend to start in Aperture Priority mode with the lowest ISO setting and the aperture at f/16;