Hi All,
Photo-Genie here…
A few days ago I found a video with the most beautiful waterfall photography I’ve ever seen and I wanted to share it with you.
I also want to introduce you to my good friend Amy Renfrey. She is a professional photographer/teacher. In the latter part of this post she will give you some pointers on how to take breath-taking waterfall shots.
But first, just to put you in the mood, take a look at this awesome waterfall video…from the Photo-Genie’s own lips, these shots are stunning.
Just click this link:
Now, here’s Amy…
How To Shoot Waterfalls
By Amy Renfrey
If you’ve ever photographed a waterfall you’ll understand why people go back again and again and shoot them. When I lived in Victoria, Australia, I would take a trip for a day or a weekend and shoot many shots of Stevenson’s Falls. If you are fortunate to live near the Rockies in Canada or in America then you will have a fantastic time applying what I am about to show you through some handy techniques.
One of the important aspects about shooting waterfalls is knowing the waterfall itself. What I mean by that is knowing the lighting conditions at each time of year and day; knowing what time you are going to get your best shot.
Here are some useful tips for getting beautiful waterfall shots.
Lighting for waterfalls is best when it has just finished raining such as a storm that has just passed. You can take advantage of this to get a soft and dim light that brings out the dramatic nature of the waterfall. In order to get a slower shutter speed on auto, you will need to capture the waterfall particularly at this time after the rain.
There are a couple of successful tips to get two types of waterfall shots. The first is the soft smooth flowing effect of water such as water looking like a blanket of silk over the rocks. If you want to get this look, set your shutter to a speed of 1 to 2 seconds. To get the right exposure at this speed set your aperture at an f stop of f/16 or smaller say, f/22. You will notice that with these settings you’ll get a better, larger depth of field.
The entire frame will be in focus this way, which is always a bonus. If you find you have too much light, just change your shutter to 2 seconds or just slight of that. You can also use a polariser or neutral density filter.
Filters for waterfall shots? I have found that a ND filter gives some fantastic effects. If you invest in one of these for your waterfall photos you will find that the amount if light on the lens is reduced. Once the light is reduced (provided you are shooting during the day on auto) the shutter speed will change accordingly. You will find no reduction of colour at all.
It’s also wise to use a tripod when taking waterfalls. When you are using a shutter speed of 1 to 2 seconds (depending on light), you must remember that this is a pretty slow shutter speed and you don’t want to take any chances. So many times subscribers have sent me photos of their waterfall shots with some significant blur, leaving them disappointed in the process.
Also, with such a slow shutter, try to get yourself a shutter release cable. A remote shutter release is even better because the chance of knocking your camera goes from 10% to absolute zero. It’s a must when taking such slow shutter speeds like this because even the most beautiful photo is ruined by the slightest movement.
If you don’t have a remote release cable, you can use the cameras self-timer. This is something I’ve used a lot when I first started photography. This will get a similar, if not the same effect, as using a remote shutter release cable. When you set the timer, press the shutter, you still have a few seconds before the shutter will open and take the picture. During this few second window, you can take your finger off the shutter and then the picture will be taken after this set amount of time. (Usually three to ten seconds depending on what you set it at. Some cameras may have a pre-set timer for this window.)
Just remember that the time of day you are shooting your waterfall is very important- watch for stormy clouds to enhance colour and capture that beautiful water with a slow shutter speed of less than 2 seconds. One more reason why it’s good to have low light is because water offers come high contrast on a photo when taken in the mid afternoon sun. The low light will soften any potential harsh contrasts.
If you do find that you have too much light during the day with the slow shutter, you can always adjust the levels on the Photoshop Histogram.
As always happy shooting!
Amy Renfrey
Check out Amy Renfrey’s photography course.
Learn to take stunning photos with bold color & super sharp clarity.
I highly recommend it.
Bye bye for now…To your success!
The Photo-Genie
http://photography.mgc-ctr.com
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