Tutorial Details:
Suggested Gear
Pre-planning
Technique
Suggested Gear:
Wide Angle Zoom lens, Polarizing Filter, Tripod, Cable Release, Boots, Micro Fiber Cloth, Appropriate Clothing, Backpack Camera Bag
Step 1: You hear that Sound? Finding Waterfall locations
There is a good chance no matter where you live you have some type of waterfall nearby. They might range in size and height but when it comes down to making an image of a waterfall the same gear and techniques can be used on a 10 foot waterfall or on a 200 foot waterfall.
The internet is a great resource in researching possible waterfalls nearby or at a future travel destination. Sites such as Flickr have thousands of images of waterfalls from around the world and possibly a few close to own locations. Use the search feature to narrow down the field to your home town or a destination you plan on visiting. Many amateur and professional photographers will properly identify the falls by name and location. You can then use the name of waterfall in the your search engine to gather more details on the falls such as location and height.
Most often getting to a waterfall requires some footwork to get to them. It can be just off the roadway or may require a hike to get to it. When building a list of waterfalls make sure you understand the difficulty of getting to a certain waterfall. I recommend wearing approapite layers for the conditions, sturdy waterproof footwear, backpack camera bag, and light tripod.
Waterfalls require two things: A water source and Elevation
Late spring and early fall offer the best conditions to taking waterfall images. The rising temperatures high a top the mountain cause snow melt to run off the mountain filling streams and rivers with millions of gallons of water which later cascade over the edges. Arriving later in the hot summer months when there is less water in the streams will shrink the overall waterfall. Recent rain fall can replenish some of the water up stream from the falls but only for 1-2 days.
Conditions around the waterfall are still pretty cold and wet. Even if the sun shines bright on your drive to the falls do not forget to wear appropriate layers of clothing a proper shoes to take the last mile to the location. You would not want to have to cut your time short on location just because you suddenly feel cold and wet.
Staying comfortable on any photography shoot is very important. If you start to feel cold and wet your patience will start to wain and your composition and images will suffer. An agitated photographer only leaves with snapshots.
The Photographers Ephemeris and smartphone apps such as SunSeeker can help you determine the best light for the time of the day.
Step 3: The Camera Gear
1. A camera capabale of manual controls to adjust aperture and shutter speed
2. A sturdy tripod for the long exposures
3. A cable release to avoid camera shake
4. A Polarzier filter to cut through the reflections and glare on top of the water
5. A Neutral Density Filter to balance foreground with bright skies
6. A bunch of micro fiber clothes to wipe off moisture from the lens and camera body
Step 4: Composing your Image
Walk around the falls to take in different angles on the falls. Shooting at different angles work better than straight head on shots sometimes. While looking at the falls keep an eye out for possible distracting elements in the frame such as fall branches or trees.
Using a wide angle lens really helps fill the frame with the waterfall. For a more intimate shot of a certain portion of the waterfall long zoom lenses can also be used.
Step 5: Making an Silky Waterfall Image
The difference between a snapshot of a waterfall and a composed image is the use of a slow shutter speed to allow the water to flow during exposure times resulting in a smooth silk look the moving water.
Set the camera mode dial to M-Manual in order to set the shutter speed required for the light conditions and the aperture for the depth of field in the image.
Use the lowest ISO setting on your camera usually 50 or 100 ISO for the best quality files.
Start out by taking an image with 1/30s and F10 and see what results you get. If the image is very bright start closing the aperture down to f16 or f20 to lose some of the light value. If your lens does not stop down far enough adding a 3 stop Density filter will help knock down the ambient light low enough to allow for those long exposures.
An exposure time of 1/30, 1/10 or slower is required to make the water flow appear silk and smooth.
It may take a series of practice shots before you match up the right shutter speed for your intended composition. And that is why shooting in Manual Mode.
Attempting to hand held a waterfall shot is very difficult, that is why locking down your camera onto a sturdy tripod is one of the fastest and easiest ways for both beginners and professionals to take sharp and stable images.
Step 1: You hear that Sound? Finding Waterfall locations
There is a good chance no matter where you live you have some type of waterfall nearby. They might range in size and height but when it comes down to making an image of a waterfall the same gear and techniques can be used on a 10 foot waterfall or on a 200 foot waterfall.
The internet is a great resource in researching possible waterfalls nearby or at a future travel destination. Sites such as Flickr have thousands of images of waterfalls from around the world and possibly a few close to own locations. Use the search feature to narrow down the field to your home town or a destination you plan on visiting. Many amateur and professional photographers will properly identify the falls by name and location. You can then use the name of waterfall in the your search engine to gather more details on the falls such as location and height.
Most often getting to a waterfall requires some footwork to get to them. It can be just off the roadway or may require a hike to get to it. When building a list of waterfalls make sure you understand the difficulty of getting to a certain waterfall. I recommend wearing approapite layers for the conditions, sturdy waterproof footwear, backpack camera bag, and light tripod.
Waterfalls require two things: A water source and Elevation
Late spring and early fall offer the best conditions to taking waterfall images. The rising temperatures high a top the mountain cause snow melt to run off the mountain filling streams and rivers with millions of gallons of water which later cascade over the edges. Arriving later in the hot summer months when there is less water in the streams will shrink the overall waterfall. Recent rain fall can replenish some of the water up stream from the falls but only for 1-2 days.
Conditions around the waterfall are still pretty cold and wet. Even if the sun shines bright on your drive to the falls do not forget to wear appropriate layers of clothing a proper shoes to take the last mile to the location. You would not want to have to cut your time short on location just because you suddenly feel cold and wet.
Staying comfortable on any photography shoot is very important. If you start to feel cold and wet your patience will start to wain and your composition and images will suffer. An agitated photographer only leaves with snapshots.
Step 2: Visit the waterfall at the right time
I already mentioned spring and early summer for the best water levels. The next variable to consider for your shoot is ambient light. Many waterfalls are tucked inside canyons or underneath thick tree canopy's which makes having good light difficult. Depending on the falls orientation some waterfalls are best shot in the late afternoon sun because they face to the west. Others that face east would be better photographed in the morning.The Photographers Ephemeris and smartphone apps such as SunSeeker can help you determine the best light for the time of the day.
Step 3: The Camera Gear
1. A camera capabale of manual controls to adjust aperture and shutter speed
2. A sturdy tripod for the long exposures
3. A cable release to avoid camera shake
4. A Polarzier filter to cut through the reflections and glare on top of the water
5. A Neutral Density Filter to balance foreground with bright skies
6. A bunch of micro fiber clothes to wipe off moisture from the lens and camera body
Step 4: Composing your Image
Walk around the falls to take in different angles on the falls. Shooting at different angles work better than straight head on shots sometimes. While looking at the falls keep an eye out for possible distracting elements in the frame such as fall branches or trees.
Using a wide angle lens really helps fill the frame with the waterfall. For a more intimate shot of a certain portion of the waterfall long zoom lenses can also be used.
Step 5: Making an Silky Waterfall Image
The difference between a snapshot of a waterfall and a composed image is the use of a slow shutter speed to allow the water to flow during exposure times resulting in a smooth silk look the moving water.
Set the camera mode dial to M-Manual in order to set the shutter speed required for the light conditions and the aperture for the depth of field in the image.
Use the lowest ISO setting on your camera usually 50 or 100 ISO for the best quality files.
Start out by taking an image with 1/30s and F10 and see what results you get. If the image is very bright start closing the aperture down to f16 or f20 to lose some of the light value. If your lens does not stop down far enough adding a 3 stop Density filter will help knock down the ambient light low enough to allow for those long exposures.
An exposure time of 1/30, 1/10 or slower is required to make the water flow appear silk and smooth.
It may take a series of practice shots before you match up the right shutter speed for your intended composition. And that is why shooting in Manual Mode.
Attempting to hand held a waterfall shot is very difficult, that is why locking down your camera onto a sturdy tripod is one of the fastest and easiest ways for both beginners and professionals to take sharp and stable images.
Show Me Some Waterfalls !!!
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| Japanese Gulch Stream - Small yet great for practicing slow shutter speed techniques |
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| Sul Duc Falls, Washington - a more challenging waterfall still using the same tecnique |
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| Multnomah Falls, Oregon - Great use of a wide angle lens |
These 5 simple steps can help any beginner or photography enthusiast go from vacation snapshot to making great wall worth prints.
You keep shooting
PS If you do not currently own a dedicated wide angle landscape photography lens consider renting one from Borrow Lenses for your next road trip or vacation for 3 days or even a week.
Gear Used during these shoots
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