Photzy

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS

Short Guide
Written by Jason D. Little

carezze

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CONTENTS

01

What You Will Need

p.4

02

Where to Find Waterfalls

p.6

Setup and Compose

p.8

07

Finishing Touches

p.19

08

One Final Tip

p.21

Conclusion

p.22

Attach and Adjust Your Filters

p.11

05

p.16

04

Take the Shot

03

06

09

Dial in Your Settings

p.13

Waterfalls are one of our planets most

amazing natural features. Whether
youre witnessing the sheer power and
enormity of waterfalls such as Jim Jim
Falls, Victoria Falls, or Niagara Falls, or
enjoying the charm and serenity of one
of the smaller falls to be located nearly
anywhere in the world, waterfalls have
always held the human imagination
captive.
Capturing waterfalls photographically,
however, has proven elusive for many
individuals. And, as we all know, an elusive
subject can easily lead to frustration. I
would argue, though, that successfully
photographing waterfalls is not so much
defined by assessing a level of difficulty
but, instead, comes about by knowing a
handful of tricks and techniques that will
help you get the job done.
Lets find out what it takes.
bk

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HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Its possible that youve sought waterfall photography
A sturdy tripod.
advice before and you were give gear-related
A polarizing filter. A circular polarizer is used
recommendations that reached well beyond your
to reduce glare and unwanted reflections from
means. The truth is that waterfall photography doesnt
shiny surfaces; it will also cut down some of
need to be any more expensive than any other
the light entering your lens, making it easier to
genre of photography. A simple online search will
lengthen exposure time.
reveal that there are people who have gotten good
waterfall photos with a mobile device! We wont be
Optional accessories:
concentrating on camera phone photography here,
but just be aware that you dont need to spend a
A remote shutter release to serve as an added
fortune to photograph a waterfall. Here are some
layer of protection against camera shake.
basic recommendations.
A neutral density filter. This will block more light
A camera capable of shutter speeds longer than
(varies according to strength of the filter) than
1 second. Long shutter speeds are required to
a circular polarizer alone, making it possible to
get that prized silky smooth effect to the flowing
work in sunny conditions.
water.
A wide angle zoom lens. This will maximize your
compositional flexibility and efficiency, but a
long lens, or any lens for that matter, will work.

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SF Brit

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WHERE TO FIND WATERFALLS

You dont need to live in a particularly exotic place to find a waterfall. Likewise, you
dont necessarily have to travel to such places just to find a waterfall. Your area may not
be littered with waterfalls, but if you do a little bit of research you should be able to
find one relatively close to you. It may not match the majesty of Brazils Iguazu Falls, but
something is better than nothing, right? If its your first time shooting waterfalls, start
small so youre not overwhelmed by the experience.
You dont necessarily have
to travel to such places just
to find a waterfall.

So how do you find out if there are any waterfalls near you?
A waterfall guidebook/locator. There are both books and apps for this.
A general travel/tourist guide will sometimes show waterfall locations.
A visit to a national park. There are experts on hand who should be able to point
you in the right direction.
A Google search.
A Flickr search.
Waterfalls are not in short supply; you just have to know where to look.
Now lets get to work.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

SETUP AND COMPOSE

When you arrive at

the waterfall, avoid the
temptation to immediately
begin clicking your shutter
button.

As the old saying goes, haste makes waste. When you arrive at the waterfall, avoid
the temptation to immediately begin clicking your shutter button. Take some time
to absorb the scene; walk around the area, examine the waterfall from a number of
different angles, and study the surroundings.
Once you set up your camera and tripod, use the viewfinder to look at the scene from
different angles and different positions. Consider the following before you shoot:
Dont compose a head-on shot; shoot at an angle to the waterfall.
Include foreground elements to provide some depth and texture to the scene.
If you use a telephoto zoom lens, focus on a specific area of the waterfall instead of
trying to back up and frame the whole thing.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

Ian Sane

Including a waterfalls surroundings in the

shot can work to wonderful effect.

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HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

Waterfall photography can be as daring

and creative as any other style of
photography.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

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ATTACH AND ADJUST YOUR FILTERS

As alluded to above, you can use both a circular polarizer and a neutral density filter; if
you only have one of the two filters, make sure its a polarizer.

If you only have one of the

two filters, make sure its a
polarizer.

Attach the polarizer to the front of your lens and, as you look through the viewfinder,
rotate the filter until you see any reflections start to disappear. As an added bonus,
youll notice that colors will also appear more saturated.
The use of a neutral density filter is less crucial, but you may still find it comes in handy,
especially if youre working in the bright sun, as it decreases light entering your camera
by several stops.
A neutral density filter marked as ND4, for example, reduces light by two stops; this
is typically considered ideal for waterfall photography since it allows you to slow your
shutter speed to great effect without going overboard.
To illustrate this point, if your camera gives you an initial reading of 1/4 second and you
then attached an ND4 filter, the subsequent reading would be 1/8 second.
Use filters at your own discretion.

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carezze

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DIAL IN YOUR SETTINGS

Things can vary greatly

from one environment to
another, so you have to
respond accordingly.

There are no concrete rules about exact

exposure settings; things can vary greatly
from one environment to another, so you
have to respond accordingly. The settings
below represent a good starting point;
try them out and make adjustments as
needed:
Shooting mode - Manual (M) will be
the optimal shooting mode. Given the
emphasis on shutter speed, you might
attempt to work in shutter priority (Tv);
if so, youll quickly find that the camera
wont always choose the best depth-offield. Waterfall photography is yet another
example of when it is best to not let your
camera make too many decisions for you.
Shooting in manual will likely turn out to
be easier than you previously thought.
Aperture - Use a small aperture; f/16 is
a good place to start. A small aperture
lets in less light, thus allowing for longer
shutter speeds, and helps keep everything
in clear focus due to increased depthof-field. You should avoid the minimum

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

aperture (f/22 to f/32 on most lenses) as

a type of distortion known as diffraction
usually sets in at that point.
Shutter speed - As weve referenced a
number of times in this guide, beautiful
waterfall photography leans heavily on
the use of a slow shutter speed. Finding
precisely which shutter speed gives the
effect youre looking for requires some trial
and error, but 2 seconds is a reasonable
starting point. You may, however, find
yourself using shutter speeds up to 30
seconds perhaps longer.
ISO - Use the lowest ISO setting available
on your camera. The benefits are
threefold: less noise, more dynamic range,
and longer shutter speed (the lower the
ISO, the less sensitive the sensor is to
light).

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Nicholas A. Tonelli

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This 8 second exposure illustrates

brilliantly what a long shutter speed can
do to moving water.
Paul Bicahttps://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/4137841698/

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TAKE THE SHOT

Now comes the easy part: press and release the shutter button.

If your photo is showing

significant loss of detail in
the shadows, try the shot
again at a slower shutter
speed.

Before you call it a day, take a good look at the image youve captured on your
cameras LCD screen. Make sure youre happy with the framing and composition and
overall exposure. Also examine the histogram, looking for problems in both shadows
and highlights.
If your photo is showing significant loss of detail in the shadows, try the shot again at a
slower shutter speed. Conversely, loss of highlight detail (blown out areas) suggests that
you should reshoot with a faster shutter speed.
If your shutter speed is proving too fast to get that smooth look to the water and your
exposure settings are all where they should be (small aperture, low ISO), then this is the
perfect time to use a neutral density filter. Again, the ND4 should be adequate

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This waterfall image shows the effect of

a faster shutter speed (1/125 sec.). The
water appears to be stopped in time
rather than flowing smoothly.

Even Normann

Theres no right or wrong just know how

the shutter speed will affect your photos.

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Paulo Brandao

A waterfall doesnt have to be grand and

imposing to be beautiful.

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FINISHING TOUCHES

You will probably

want to apply some
sharpening, increase
contrast and perhaps color
saturation, all in an effort to
maximize the beauty of
the scene.

Youve read it numerous times in these guides, but it needs repeating postprocessing is a highly subjective process. Its your image; youre free to do what you
want with it. Of course, you will probably want to apply some sharpening, increase
contrast and perhaps color saturation, all in an effort to maximize the beauty of the
scene.
Something to keep in mind, especially as it applies to waterfall photography, is that
even with a nicely exposed shot, youre likely to get a small area or two of blown out
highlights.
Theres no need to retake the shot in such an instance; just use one of the many options
and techniques available in your post processing software to fix problem areas (the
burn tool, for example).

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Elliot Gilfix

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ONE FINAL TIP

Weather conditions are something we obviously cant control, but they can have a
notable impact on our photography.
When shooting waterfalls,
balanced and diffused
lighting is ideal.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

When shooting waterfalls, balanced and diffused lighting is ideal traits most often
associated with overcast skies.
So if you can wait for a cloudy day to do your waterfall photography, you will get
the best results. Otherwise, shooting around the times of sunrise or sunset are good
choices.

21

CONCLUSION

Capture angles you didnt

try the time before.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WATERFALLS // PHOTZY.COM

Chase all the waterfalls your heart desires; revisit them as often
as possible, making a point of correcting mistakes you made
previously, or capturing angles you didnt try the time before. You
will be an expert before you know it!

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About the Author

IF YOUD LIKE TO CONTINUE

LEARNING AND IMPROVING YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHY PLEASE VISIT
PHOTZY.COM
Jason D. Little is a photographer (shooting macros, portraits,
candids, and the occasional landscape), part time writer, and full
time lover of music.
You can see Jasons photography on his Photography Blog
or on Flickr.

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