Waterfalls are beautiful, impressive and we all love them. They also look great on photos. We all saw so many amazing photos of waterfalls and it seems easy to make a good-looking photo when the subject is so strong. But is it? In this tutorial I will try to explain several key steps and techniques I believe are very important if you want to come out with a great photo of a waterfall. Have in mind that there is no one right way on how to do this, this is just the way I do it.
Krmolj waterfall, Topli Do, Old mountain
The gear
I’ll go with the basic and really must have gear for this purpose:
Camera – obviously. It’s best to have possibility for manual exposure adjustment. Any good old DSLR will do.
Tripod – It’s a must if you want to get good looking, sharp long exposure image, no questions about that.
Cable release – It’s not a must but it is a recommendation. If you don’t have one, use a self-timer.
ND filter – It’s not a must, but it is good to have
Circular polarizer – Again, not a must, but it is good to have to remove reflections from the water and wet rocks
The settings
Settings will depend conditions outside and on what you want to accomplish. Do you want to freeze the water in time or you want smooth, silky, blurred motion water? Getting a fast exposure is simple, so let’s see how we can get long enough exposure to blur that water:
ISO – Use the lowest possible, 100 or lower if your camera allows. You avoid the noise and it helps with the long exposure we want.
Aperture –To be able to get long exposure and not to burn your photo, you will need to close your aperture. When possible, use the sweet spot of your lens, like f8 or f11. If this is not enough to get exposure you want, and you don’t have ND filter, then close it more, as far as you must to get that shutter speed you want. Have in mind that this can degrade the quality of your photo because of a diffraction.
Exposure – To get that blurred effect it’s good to get exposure of at least 0.5 seconds. More time you keep your shutter open, the blurrier and silkier the water will look. ND filter can help here if the light is harsh, but also a circular polarizer. Either way, this is an artistic choice. Longer exposure means silkier water, but less details in it. So, the choice is on you.
Use the shutter release or self-timer and shoot in RAW for more options in post processing. What I also do is I use exposure bracketing, to get several exposures (normal, under and over exposed) that can afterwards be used in post processing to get better results and well exposed photo overall. If you have a circular polarizer use it to cut down reflections from wet rocks and the water itself.
The composition
This is a big one. You probably had a chance to be in front of the waterfall and it’s impressive, but once you look through your camera it is not looking closely the same. Finding good composition is not easy, sometimes it just doesn’t fit the field of view, sometimes it’s blocked by trees, branches… So, you must put your effort in to it. I use several techniques and there is no universal one, it depends on the waterfall and its surroundings, so you have to try and find the best one.
Working your way up – What this means is that I start from far away and work my way towards the waterfall. That way I also get an interesting foregrounds for my waterfall (creek, rocks, pond…) and I get shots with wider surroundings of the waterfall and a close-up shots of the waterfall. Along the way, you might find your sweet spot.
Creek leading the eye through the photo to a waterfall in the background
In this case it is the wooden fence that points to distant, frozen Tupavica waterfall
Vertical or horizontal – During my way up to the waterfall, I try the both. Sometimes vertical will work, other times it will be horizontal. And on your way up you will get two shots from each position, so more to choose from.
Horizontal composition
Vertical composition
Find another angle – Do not shoot waterfalls always directly facing them. Try to come from the side, or above when possible. Or try to get as close to the ground as possible and include some foreground. Take your time and explore all possibilities. It’s likely that you will be able to find not so obvious composition that works very well.
Side view, low perspective
Rocks and moss in the foreground
Zooming in – Not always you have to capture the whole waterfall. Try to find interesting detail and emphasize it, make it the central piece. Get close, zoom in! This can be a flower, a rock, some ice, waterfall base… you got the point.
Base of Bigar waterfall
Details of frozen Tupavica waterfall
Subject here is not only the waterfall, but also the rocks and the light on them
Same here those mossy rocks are a subject as much as the waterfall
Frame it – Frame within a frame is popular composition these days. Try to find some elements in the scene and frame your waterfall, or part of it.
Part of Krmolj waterfall framed by moss covered tree branches
Same waterfall, same idea, different execution
Rule of thirds – It’s always applicable and even though the rules are here to be broken, try to follow them sometimes. Don’t put your waterfall always in the center of your frame. When possible, put it on the left or right third.
Waterfall cascades at the right third of the frame
Same idea, different waterfall
Show the scale – Sometimes it is hard to show the scale of the waterfall on a photo. The easiest and most popular way to do it is to add a person in your frame. Long exposure selfie will do.
Low perspective, foreground and a person to show the scale. Kopren waterfall, Old mountain, Serbia.
Without people it would be hard to imagine the size of powerful Pilj waterfall.
When to shoot
Time of the day – Best time to shoot waterfalls is when the light is soft and low. Like for any other landscape photo, usually the best times are around sunrise or sunset. If there is some cloud coverage or the waterfall is in the forest, good results can be achieved sometimes even during the middle of the day. But avoid harsh lightning conditions because it will be very hard to get the exposure right and not to burn any details. Another good time is at night, especially if the waterfall is lightened and light reflections are visible in the water.
Night view of a waterfall in Greenville falls park
Time of the year – Every season has its charm. Spring is the time when waterfalls are the most reach with water, especially when the snow is melting. Autumn can bring you some beautiful fall colors and change the look of the waterfall completely. During winters, some waterfalls freeze, and they get altogether different look. And if you catch the moment when the ice is melting, you get the best of both worlds. Summer is the least adequate season for waterfall photography since water levels are low and there is no much color, but even then, you can get some interesting results.
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Spring
Conclusion
So, as you can see, there are many options and many factors that are important when it comes to waterfall photography. These are not all of them of course, but I believe they are the most important ones. Either way, try to implement some of them in your workflow and with some practice, you should be able to get away from any waterfall with some good photos.
Final tip
I saved the most important tip for the end. Don’t forget to enjoy the waterfall yourself!!! Don’t spend all your time looking at it through your viewfinder or LCD screen. Enjoy the view, listen to its sound. Find a good spot, sit back, relax and enjoy.
Happy shooting!