Running water in a beautiful landscape always seems to beckon to photographers. Wanting to learn how to make the most of your river, stream, and waterfall photography? Read on and learn how!
Working to improve your waterfall photography skills can seem like a lot to take in. I’m going to break down my favorite strategies for you here. We’ll discuss helpful gear, camera settings, and composition tips below.
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Waterfall photography gear
When it comes to gear needed for waterfall photography, there isn’t a lot to it. Of course you’ll need a camera. Following that, a tripod is highly encouraged. You definitely don’t want to cheap out on one, either. Make sure you get a nice, stable tripod that has whatever features you like included. The Benro Cyanbird is my personal favorite tripod.
Following that, I recommend getting a Neutral Density (ND) filter, a Circular Polarizing (CPL) filter, and some sort of shutter release (depending on your camera). These things are more optional. The ND filter is like sunglasses for your lens while the CPL is like less dark sunglasses that help cut through reflections on the water. Lastly, for longer exposure times a shutter release or self timer will help prevent shaking your camera and tripod.
In this article, you’ll notice I’ve included photos from all kinds of cameras. From old Canon Powershot cameras, to different film cameras, to modern mirrorless cameras, don’t let what camera you have hold you back. Technique and creativity are far more important!
A note on ND filters
When it comes to ND filters, there are way too many options. My personal preference is to get a variable ND filter. These filters are adjustable. Turning a ring on them allows you to dial in how much “power” you want from the filter. I find this to be much more convenient than carrying a bag of different strength ND filters around. VND filters also have the side benefit of offering some polarization effect. I use a Tiffen VND filter.
Make sure to get your filters from a reputable brand. When I got started, I picked up some generic ones and they turned everything blue and soft. It looked like taking photos through a plastic grocery sack!
Best shutter speeds for waterfall photography
Shutter speed selection is were a lot of your creative control comes from in waterfall photography. In the photos above, one was taken using a VND filter and a slow shutter speed on a tripod. The other was taken with a fast shutter speed handheld. As you can tell, the water looks vastly different! You can also see how the VND filter’s polarization cut the reflection on the water and deepened the color of the sky.
I highly recommend experimenting with a VND and different shutter speeds. While I usually prefer speeds between 1/4 of a second and one second, I’ve found that my preferences change. Different waterfalls will reveal different patterns. Some seem to favor two seconds, some look best at faster speeds. The VND filter really allows you to experiment with speeds easily: just dial the filter in to get the brightness you want!
Aperture and ISO for waterfall photography
When it comes to the rest of your camera settings, it’s much simpler. To get the most image quality out of your photos, keep the camera’s ISO as low as it can go. For most cameras, that will be somewhere about 100 ISO. This will keep noise/grain to a minimum and, if you’re using RAW, give you the most flexibility in editing your waterfall photography.
When it comes to aperture, a good balance must be achieved. Most lenses are sharpest somewhere in the middle of their aperture range. The more you close the lens down, the more things will be in focus from front to back. However, you’ll reach a point where closing the lens down makes things softer. My general recommendation is f/8 or f/11, as these apertures generally make for a happy compromise.
To sum up camera settings for waterfall photography: You’ll want the lowest ISO possible, eg. 100 ISO, a middle aperture like f/8 or f/11, and lastly, experiment with your shutter speed and VND filter to get the results you desire!
Composition tips
Experimentation and experience play a lot into composing your waterfall photography. However, there are a few tips and tricks I’d like to share with you. One I learned from watching Gavin Hardcastle, aka “Fototripper“, on YouTube. Often times, the top of a waterfall leaves you with an overexposed blank spot. Gavin affectionately calls this the “Triangle of Pointlessness”. I wholeheartedly agree.
Hopefully it shows in my photos. I do everything I can to be careful about what is in frame above waterfalls. This is particularly a problem with tall ones that I’m aiming my camera up at. Avoid the “Triangle of Pointlessness” to the best of your abilities.
Another thing I’ve learned about waterfall photography composition is to really work the scene. The waterfall above looks pretty underwhelming from straight on. Once I tried walking all around the accessible areas, I found that standing to the side and letting the water run out of the right of the frame was much more striking. Experiment with how you position your camera.
Get yourself stuck into the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall if you can. Find that attention grabbing foreground or use some mundane objects to guide the viewer to the falls. Don’t be afraid to set up your tripod in the river and photograph straight upstream, either. This works great even for normal river and stream photography.
Also, it’s just as important to try positioning the waterfall in different parts of your frame. Some look amazing centered up nicely. Others really favor following the rule of thirds and letting the water run out of the sides of the frame.
Waterfall photography rewards experimenting
If ever there were a segment of photography that rewards trying different things, it’s waterfall photography. Water is ever-changing, following where it must go. As a photographer, I find it suitable that when we go with the flow, we capture water at its best. Don’t be afraid to keep going to the same waterfall or stream and try approaching it differently.
I can’t just tell you to set your camera to X settings and put on Y ND filter and have it all work out. While it’s generally good advice to use that low ISO and a mid-range f-stop, the rest is infinitely changeable. Light conditions, water speed, and any number of other variables all effect your exposure. Hopefully armed with the knowledge from this guide and a sense of adventure, you will get you where you need to go!
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