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A shot of a waterfall in Rio de
Janeiro Tip 1: Use a Slow Shutter Speed
The most important tip I have for shooting
waterfall pictures? Use a slow shutter speed. This is very important - if you've
read my guide on shooting action
photos, you'll understand the concept behind it. If your camera has a
shutter priority mode, then switch to that. Such modes allow you to choose your
shutter speed and have the camera automatically set the aperture for you. Tip 2: Use a Tripod
If you read some of my other photography
articles, you'll realize that I usually recommend bringing along a tripod
for shooting photos. It's no different for shooting waterfall photos. Shooting
at low shutter speeds implies that your hands have to be very, very steady - the
best way to ensure steadiness is to use a tripod instead. Tip 3: Dealing with Tricky Lighting If you're shooting the waterfall at mid-day or under bright light, the camera may not allow you to set the shutter speed below 1/30 second, because it might overexpose the picture. Well, you have a few options to workaround this problem. One option is to shoot the waterfall around sunset, when the sun has gone behind hills or trees. You'll be able to shoot far more slowly because the camera needs more light to take pictures at that time of day. You can also bump up the camera's ISO setting. If it's set to a high value or to Automatic, manually set the ISO to the lowest number the camera supports. That makes the sensor less sensitive to light and possibly able to support a longer shutter speed.
The other workaround is to install a neutral density filter onto the front of
your camera. Neutral density filters block light from entering the camera
without altering the color or tone of the light. They make the scene darker,
allowing a longer shutter speed. Tip 4: Practice beforehand
One thing I like to do is to practice my waterfall shots at home. If you have a
little water fountain or running tap, you can shoot that 'mini-waterfall' first
and tweak your camera settings until you get it right. Conclusion I hope I've given you some insight into how to take good waterfall photos. The key trick is to use a slow shutter speed - but you may have to avoid overexposure at the same time. Good luck with those photos!
Related ArticlesYou may also wish to read the following related articles:
A list of tips for shooting
landscape photos © 2006 Basic-Digital-Photography.com
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