How to Shoot Waterfalls

One of the important aspects about shooting waterfalls is knowing the waterfall itself. What I mean by that is knowing the lighting conditions at each time of year and day; knowing what time you are going to get your best shot. Here are some useful tips for getting beautiful waterfall shots. Lighting for waterfalls is best when it has just finished raining- such as s storm that’s just passed. You can take advantage of this to get great shots to get a soft and dim light that brings out the dramatic nature of the waterfall. In order to get a slower shutter speed on auto, you will need to capture the waterfall particularly at this time after the rain. There are a couple of successful tips to get two types of waterfall shots. The first is the soft smooth flowing effect of water; such as water looking like a blanket of silk over the rocks. If you want to get this look, set your shutter to a speed of 1 to 2 seconds. To get the right exposure at this speed set your aperture at an f stop of f/16 or smaller say, f/22. You will notice that with these settings you’ll get a better, larger depth of field. The entire frame will be in focus this way, which is always a bonus. If you find you have too much light, just change your shutter to 2 seconds or just slight of that. You can also use a polariser or neutral density filter. Filters for waterfall shots? I have found that a ND filter gives some fantastic effects. If you invest in one of these for your waterfall photos you will find that the amount if light on the lens is reduced. Once the light is reduced (provided you are shooting during the day on auto) the shutter speed will change accordingly. You will find no reduction of colour at all. It’s also wise to use a tripod when taking waterfalls. When you are using a shutter speed of 1 to 2 seconds (depending on light), you must remember that this is a pretty slow shutter speed and you don’t want to take any chances. So many times subscribers have sent me photos if their waterfall shots with some significant blur, leaving them disappointed in the process. Also, with such a slow shutter, try to get yourself a shutter release cable. A remote shutter release is even better because the chance of knocking your camera goes from 10% to absolute zero. It’s a must when taking such slow shutter speeds like this because even the most beautiful photo is ruined by the slightest movement. If you don’t have a remote release cable, you can use the cameras self timer. This is something I’ve used a lot when I first started photography. This will get a similar, if not the same effect, as using a remote shutter release cable. When you set the timer, press the shutter, you still have a few seconds before the shutter will open and take the picture, During this few second window, you can take your finger off the shutter and then the picture will be taken after this set amount of time. (Usually three to ten seconds depending on what you set it at. Some cameras may have a pre-set timer for this window.) Just remember that the time of day you are shooting your waterfall is very important- watch for stormy clouds to enhance colour and capture that beautiful water with a slow shutter speed of under 2 seconds. One more reason why its good to have low light is because water offers come high contrast on a photo when taken in the mid afternoon sun. The low light will soften any potential harsh contrasts. If you do find that you have too much light during the day with the slow shutter, you can always adjust the levels on the Photoshop Histogram. As always happy shooting! Amy Renfrey