Tips for taking shots of moving water

I was wondering if there are filters to use when you have a lot of light to help with the long exposure time to get that blured look of the water. I guess I am just looking for tips or ideas to help with this. I am using a 7d if that matters. Thanks for any help you may have.

Look into neutral density filters.

I use a B + W 110 ND filter (10 stop) and it works amazingly well. If you go to get one though, do not get a multi-coated one. Mutli-coated filters are to let more light in which is working backwards with a 10 stop filter :P. For one of these you are looking at about $100.

Or for even cheaper! Look at a bit of welding glass.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=767152

I use a combination of stopping down and ND filters (usually stacked with a CPL). 3-stop is a good starting point, but in really bright light, might not be enough. I use the Hoya 9-stop, which is better, as you can still get the long-ish exposure without having to stop way down.

With a 9 or 10 stop ND filter, seeing through the viewfinder (even on a bright day) is almost impossible. I focus using Live View and exposure simulation.

For more money but more flexibility you can get a "multi-stop" ND filter such as those offered by Singh Ray. And then, for something quick but not-so-effective you can throw on a polarizer filter, you can get two stops of "slow-down"!

Thanks for the tips on the filters. When using one of these filters, what iso would I use or any other settings that might be different?

Typically you would want a low ISO setting to keep noise low.

Nascar Nut wrote in post #16278418
Thanks for the tips on the filters. When using one of these filters, what iso would I use or any other settings that might be different?

I use ISO 160 now. If i really need the longer shutter, i'll use 100.. but i find 160 to be cleaner (less noise) than 100. I like a lot of water/cloud blur, so i tend to shoot at f/16-f/22.. almost never wider than f/11. Mirror lockup, 2 second timer or wired remote shutter release, long exposure NR (if i have time), to clean up those hot pixels. Tripod, of course, manual mode or bulb mode.. for exposures over 30 seconds.

And yes, i love to use f/16-f/22... even though haters suggest that there's no reason to shoot that narrow. There is.. for me, i love lightstars, and any loss of sharpness due to diffraction, is minimal enough to compensate for the effect i want. Some of my lenses are softer at f/22, some are pretty sharp still.

A clean sensor is important that narrow, or prepare to clone out dust spots.

Ratjack wrote in post #16277344
If you go to get one though, do not get a multi-coated one. Mutli-coated filters are to let more light in which is working backwards with a 10 stop filter

Poppycock and balderdash.

Multi-coated filters may let through 99.7% of the light, while single coated will let through 97% (example numbers, not exact but in the ballpark). That extra 2.7% will make no difference at all to your exposures (9.96 stops instead of 10 stops).

Where it does make a difference is in controlling flare. Some of the light that makes it through the filter will be reflected off the lens and camera elements. Some of that light will be reflected back into the camera, causing flare. The single-coated filter will reflect 3% of that light, the multi-coated just 0.3% - that's a 10-fold difference, resulting in a 10-fold reduction in the likelihood of flare.

Thanks everyone for the tips. I will be headed out to Rocky Mountain National Park the end of the month and I will have some good waterfalls and rivers to try this out on.

There are times (many/most) when a long shutter speed gives you a great effect- but be sure to try shorter exposures as well. Memory cards are reasonable, you're there, and you don't want to get home and say, "What if I tried this?"

A good ND and a good CPL- I look forward to seeing your photos!