Photographing Waterfalls
Much like a moth’s attachment to a light bulb, Landscape photographers are drawn to waterfalls. Waterfalls provide photographers with dynamic opportunities for creating images. Multiple compositions, such as leading lines or S-curves, offer an excellent starting point for impactful images. Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes and can be found worldwide. They transform themselves throughout the seasons, overflowing in Spring and frozen in winter. Waterfalls in the lower latitudes that don’t see a change of season still see a seasonal variation in water flow.
Photographing waterfalls requires a considerable amount of planning and preparation. Once you have determined your goal, you will need to make some decisions. First, of course, is the question of where and when. The success of waterfall photography is closely tied to the weather. A bright sunny day is not optimal for waterfalls. The bright sunlight, combined with the dark shadows, creates too much contrast and is not visually pleasing. Bright, cloudy days offer the best chance for successful waterfall photos. Cloudy days create pleasant lighting, but try to keep the sky out of your picture. The brightness will draw the viewers’ attention away from your main subject. Your next decision is equipment. Which lenses would you like to pair with your camera body? I find that a wide-angle zoom that starts at 16mm and a telephoto zoom that reaches 200mm are the best options for me. Next, you need to decide on filters, a tripod, and a cable release. Don’t forget to bring a lens cloth. You will often need to clean the water droplets off your lens glass.
A sturdy tripod is a must; you will be using slow shutter speeds, and camera movement is your enemy. A circular polarizer is helpful (and most consider it essential) for removing the bright glare from the surfaces of the water and rocks. You may also want to pack a neutral density (ND) filter in your bag. They help you reduce the scene’s brightness and achieve the slower shutter speeds you desire. A three or six-stop ND filter should work. Next on your checklist is your protection from the elements and your safety. Proper clothing and footwear are essential—plan on getting wet. You will need functional boots and quick-drying pants. If the elements allow and you can proceed safely, the best shots come from being in the stream, looking at the waterfall. Bring along some lightweight foul-weather gear. Rainy days make for beautiful, moody photos. Give lots of thought to proper footwear, rivers and streams are very slippery, and hopping on rocks is a dicey proposition. You need footwear that allows you to grip the riverbed while also allowing you to enter the water when needed. If it’s winter, then extra careful planning is required, as getting wet is not only undesirable but also potentially dangerous.
Your waterfall photography technique is a crucial aspect of your pre-planning and all your in-stream time. You will have several decisions to make before, during, and after your excursion. Your first in-the-moment decision will be whether to go broad or more focused in your angle of view. Wide-angle photos are most popular around waterfalls, allowing for the use of more compositional elements, such as leading lines and foreground objects. If you choose to go wide, get down very low, and try to include a prominent object in your foreground. A large rock or boulder works nicely. Exposure is critical to the success of your final image. Generally, using a slow shutter speed to show water motion is essential. Keep your ISO at its lowest setting and use an aperture that provides a decent depth of field, keeping your focus point on your subject. If you get low and include foreground objects, you will most likely need to focus-stack your images to achieve a sharp result. Focus stacking involves capturing multiple photos with different focus points, which are then blended in post-processing to create a sharp image from top to bottom. I find that shutter speeds of 1/3 to 1 second often produce a pleasing effect on the water flow. Be cautious when watching areas of pooling water and foam. These areas tend to get blown out when using long exposures. Dry rock surfaces can also be a distraction juxtaposed against the dark water; try to wet the rock surfaces, especially those closest to the camera.
Along with sunny days, the wind is not friendly to your efforts. Woodland growth often lines the rivers and streams that support waterfalls. This vegetation is a colorful and crucial compositional element, and hopefully, it is not moving. If it’s windy, try to eliminate as much of it as possible or get the opposite and use a long shutter speed to emphasize that motion. The vegetation will appear as long, blurry wisps of lines.
Waterfall photography offers endless opportunities for photographers to practice their craft. It provides ample challenges regardless of your experience level. It will challenge you and make ample use of all your equipment, or destroy it if you are not careful. It will help you expand your post-process knowledge and technique. I find waterfall photography to be one of the best landscape photography learning experiences available. Always clean all your equipment when you return home from a day at the waterfall, and remember to prioritize safety above all else.