11/14/2023 0 Comments Waterfall picturesIn either case, if your aperture number (the one that says "f/something")is blinking or says "Hi" or "Lo", then you have too much or too little light. It may help to set your ISO to 400 or maybe even as high as 800 to obtain the shutter speed you want. The faster the better to catch all the splash (this also works well for crashing waves on a beach). Also, set your ISO to 100 or the lowest number you can select.įor freezing the motion of a waterfall, 1/250th of a second or faster is suggested. As you practice more, or just get lucky, 1/10 or 1/4 might even be possible. If you are handholding your camera without anything on which to brace yourself, 1/20 is about as slow as you should go. The slower the shutter speed (1/10 is slower than 1/20 is slower than 1/125, etc…) the more motion to the water and the more blur. Either way, here is how you get what you want:įor silky waterfalls you will want a shutter speed starting at 1/20th of a second or slower. Some people love the silky smooth look and others love splash. The idea with shooting waterfalls is to control the amount of blur to your liking, I call this 'intentional blur' and it is far more useful than 'unintentional blur'. If your camera has Shutter Priority Mode (it will be the letter S or Tv on the main control dial) I highly suggest using that mode for most of your shooting. Personally, while I am a fan of silky waterfalls, I like the stopped motion in the first image. The same waterfall can look different with one effect or the other so I suggest trying both, you might be surprised.įor instance, here is the base of Upper Multnomah Falls in Oregon first shot at 1/320th of a second to stop the action and then 1/8th to blur it. This is no hard and fast rule about blurring waterfalls because it is up to individual taste. If you're interested in seeing me demonstrate this technique, you can watch a little video here: Also, press the shutter release ("The Button" as many call it) slowly and don't remove your finger until the photo is done. Breathe slowly and time your shot for when you exhale. Baring that, if you insist on handholding your camera, breathe. I know you are as cool and as steady as a cucumber, but find something on which to rest your camera. Steadying your camera on something helps when taking slow shutter speed images. A rock, a tree (held against the tree or sideways), someone else's tripod (you would be amazed at how nice photography-lunatics like me, who carry around heavy tripods, can be, just ask!), your backpack, a car, etc… So try to use less of you holding the camera and instead place the camera on anything you can find. The problem with you is you have a pulse and this incessant need to breathe, constantly. You can use anything at all that will help you steady your camera, for one thing. You are also likely aware that a tripod helps you take longer exposure photos and that makes the water look all smooth and silky. Maybe if it is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but even then, you're thinking of weight and suitcase/backpack space and a tripod just won't make the cut. But I'm here to insist you don't need one.įirst of all, if you are reading this far, there is no way you are going to pack along a full size tripod on your vacation. "Don't even think you can't, mere mortal," is what I imagine a cape-wearing, super-photography-hero saying from in front of Victoria Falls as the sun sets gracefully to the side. When You Don't Want To Carry A TripodĬonventional Wisdom, and every photography site you find on the Internet, will tell you to use a tripod when taking pictures of waterfalls. If you are a traveler who enjoys taking photos, wants to take better waterfall photos and doesn't want to get 'too serious', please read on. Sure, some of the normal stuff is in here, but I want this post to be a realistic look at how to bring back great waterfall photos when you are not a photography-obsessed geek like me. This post is a departure from typical waterfall advice.
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