Photographing Waterfalls

by Jim Altengarten, exposure36 Photography 

 

Waterfalls are a staple subject in the portfolio of landscape photographers.  One reason I enjoy them is also one of my main “rules”:  there are at least five different ways to interpret a scene.  Waterfalls make finding the options easy, because simply changing shutter speeds will provide several different interpretations.  Throw in a few compositional changes--such as different visual weighting, changing the focal length, or moving to a different position, and it’s easy to get many interpretations of the same waterfall.

 

Even though waterfall photography is very popular, it’s more difficult to shoot than the average landscape scene.  Most of the problems can be overcome with experience.  However, some techniques will supplement photographic experience and help overcome the problems.

 

The three main problems associated with photographing waterfalls can be summarized in the following questions:

 

• How much of the waterfall should I include in the image?

• What shutter speed should I use?

• How do I expose the scene?

 

How much of the waterfall should I include in the image?

 

This image is a typical waterfall shot—which isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with the image.  In fact, it has already been sold as a postcard.  It’s typical because it includes virtually the entire length of the waterfall.  There’s nothing wrong with this composition—especially when other compositional elements, such as the foot bridge, are incorporated into the image.

 

However, if using the whole length is the only way in which you compose waterfall photographs, then your “creativity” will eventually bore your viewer.  Whenever the viewer can see the entire waterfall, it’s possible for him or her to judge the approximate height of the falls, even in general terms such as “that’s pretty big.”  The end result is that the viewer looks at a series of waterfall images, saying, “That’s a big one; That one is pretty small,” etc.

 

By not revealing the complete falls, the photographer involves the viewer more,  because a partial image sparks the viewer’s imagination.  For example, if the falls cover most of the frame, but the bottom of the falls is not visible, it’s up to the viewer to imagine where the bottom of the falls might lie outside the frame.  The same is true if the image shows only the bottom of the falls.  Any time you invoke the viewer’s imagination, you create viewer interest.

 

Another way of creating different interpretations of a waterfall is to isolate some portion of the falls, most commonly with a longer lens.  The image on the right is a typical postcard shot of Sunwapta Falls in the Canadian Rockies.  In this shot, I used a wide angle lens to show the falls in its environment--a typical waterfall technique.  Again, there is nothing wrong with the shot.

 

However, there are other ways to interpret this waterfall.  The first picture was only the first interpretation.  By interpreting the falls in several ways (at least five), you have a selection of shots from which to choose your favorite(s).  The worse thing that can happen when you get home is for you to say, “I should have shot it in a different way.”  Shoot your subject every way you can while you’re still in the field, so you won’t experience that lament.

 

These two pictures below are different interpretations of the same waterfall as shown above.  One shot isolates the right side of the falls; the other shot isolates the left.  These two are part of a series of about forty shots that I took of Sunwapta Falls.  When I say there are at lest five different interpretations, don’t limit yourself to that number.  Keep going until there’s no answer to the question, “What if I change X?”

 

 

 

 

 

You may note that the image on the right uses a faster shutter speed (the texture of the water is not as soft).  The concept was to have the water appear more violent to match the texture of the rocks on the left side of the image.  The water was passing down this section of the falls very quickly.  I wanted the image to reflect the violent flow.  Conversely, the image on the left had a less violent flow.   A slower shutter speed seemed more appropriate. 

 

The first photo says, “This is Sunwapta Falls.”  The falls are unique, and the photo captures the uniqueness.  The other two images might be another waterfall at a different location.  There’s nothing that identifies those images as being Sunwapta Falls.  However, the other images are a more personal view of the waterfall.  They express different emotions.  In that sense, they’re more personally satisfying than the original shot.  I believe they also create more viewer interest due to the different perspectives of the waterfall they present.

 

What shutter speed should I use?

 

As we’ve mentioned, a change in shutter speed creates different textures in the water.  There is no one correct shutter speed to shoot waterfalls.  As the previous images illustrated, the shutter speed to use depends upon how you want to interpret the scene.  However, there is a good guideline to which you can refer.

 

Most landscape photographers seem to prefer interpreting waterfalls with a slow shutter speed.  The soft “cotton candy” effect of the water is illustrated in the image on the left.  As a general guideline, a shutter speed between 1/4^th and 1/15^th of a second will create this soft effect.  A slower shutter speed will increase the softness of the water; a faster shutter speed will create a “harder” look.  Shooting water at around 1/60^th of a second will reproduce the water as your eye normally sees it.  Shutter speeds faster than that will start to “freeze” the water droplets.  There are situations when fast shutter speeds are more appropriate than slow shutter speeds.  Your choice depends on how you want to interpret the scene.

 

Look at the images below:

 

The image above was shot at 1/50th--about the way your eye sees it.	This image was shot at 1/8th, which gave a soft effect.

 

  

The guideline provided above is not a hard and fast rule.  It’s merely a good range for most waterfalls.  You should adjust the range based on two factors:  volume of water and speed of flow. You can use the upper range of the guideline, or a slightly faster shutter speed, if the volume of water is great and/or the water is traveling at a very high velocity.   If the volume of water is low, or it’s not moving at a high velocity, you’ll need to shoot at the low end of the guideline, or slower, to create the soft effect.

 

 

As we mentioned, experience will help you determine how to interpret the guidelines and get the desired shutter speed.  Until you obtain that experience, try bracketing your shutter speeds to obtain the soft effect.  Use a fairly wide interval in your bracketing—perhaps a two or three stop difference.  If you bracket in two-stop intervals and start at 1/4^th of a second, your shutter speeds will be 1”, 1/4^th, and 1/15^th.  Those should provide a wide range of interpretations for the waterfall.

 

The same guideline and principles apply to any moving water, whether it’s in a waterfall, stream, or ocean wave.  Remember the general range of 1/4^th to  1/15^th of a second, and determine if the volume of water or the speed of flow requires any deviation from that range.

 

 

 

The ocean scene could have been shot with a slower shutter speed to soften the waves more.  However, with softer waves, the image would require the addition of something dominant to the scene for the soft waves to complement.  In my interpretation, the waves create the interest.  Therefore, the shutter speed had to be a little faster (but within the stated guideline).

 

The best ways to achieve slow shutter speeds are to shoot on overcast days using a very small aperture (=large f-stop number) with a slow film speed.  Allowing light to come in a small opening requires that the light come in for a long time.  Also, shooting on an overcast day means the light level is lower, and you’ll be able to use a slow shutter speed.  A slow film speed helps ensure that the shutter speed will be slow.

 

There are occasions when no matter what f-stop you’re using, the light level is high enough to prevent you from getting into the “magic” range of 1/4^th to 1/15^th of a second.  Your best recourse in this situation is to have one or more neutral density (ND) filters handy.  These filters should have neutral density over the entire filter--not the graduated neutral density filters used to balance out wide ranges of contrast.  A neutral density filter reduces the light entering the lens by a certain number of stops.  The most common one used by landscape photographers is a two-stop ND filter.  Your polarizer normally reduces the light by about two stops, so it can be used as a ND filter.   Be aware that some manufacturers do not make polarizers with threads on the outside of the filter.  If this is the case with your polarizer, put the ND filter on first, and then mount the polarizer.  A two-stop ND filter used with a polarizer will reduce your shutter speed by about four stops, which should cover most of the situations you face.  For example, if your shutter speed is 1/200^th without any filters, four stops less exposure will put you within the guideline range.  If you don’t have a polarizer, I suggest carrying a three-stop ND filter in addition to the two-stop filter.

 

The two images below demonstrate how you can use a slow shutter speed with a waterfall or river to create an interesting background.  In the first image, the slow shutter speed allows the river to provide a nice, soft, textured background for the dogwood blossom.  This image was shot with a shutter speed of 1/4^th of a second due to the swift current of the Merced River in springtime.  The upper part of the image added some color reflected from trees on the far shoreline.

 

 

 

The next image uses the violence of the swift Athabasca Falls as a background for a tree abutting the falls. Note how a faster shutter speed adds texture to the water.  This creates more of a contrast with the softer tree that is silhouetted.

 

We discussed situations when a slow shutter speed provides an interesting image.  As mentioned previously, there are times when a fast shutter speed is necessary to get the shot. For example, while visiting Beauty Creek in the Canadian Rockies, I came upon a kayaker.  There are seven major waterfalls along the mile-and-a-half creek.  The kayaker was traversing three of the falls.

 

This was not a situation for a slow shutter speed.  I wanted to capture the kayak going down the falls with the water drops frozen around the person.  Since I was shooting digitally, I set my ISO to 800, used f5.6--because I didn’t need a lot of depth of field, and used my AI Servo mode to focus track the kayak as it approached and then went over the falls.  Since it was a bright sunny day, I was able to get a shutter speed of 1/2000^th, which was way more than I needed.  Something in the range of 1/250^th would have frozen the kayak, but I didn’t know if he would go over the falls again (he didn’t).  I knew I wanted the shot, and the really fast shutter speed ensured me of getting it.

 

You can feel the power of the stream as it covers the kayaker after he went over the falls. I previously had taken a picture of the falls (without the kayak) at a very slow shutter speed.  That gave me an interpretation of the falls.  Using a faster speed in this photo to prevent blurring made a stronger image with the kayak included in the scene.

 

Any time you want to create a feeling of power, use a fast shutter speed to freeze the water.  The image of the wave crashing over a rock at right illustrates that point.  A slow shutter speed and soft flow to the water would not suggest the power of the wave.

 

Remember, it is YOUR interpretation of the scene that dictates the shutter speed, not some arbitrary rule.

 

How do I expose the scene?

 

In many situations, the waterfall in your image will not dominate the scene.  Consider the image on the left.  The white waterfall and waves take up only a small portion of the scene.  When composing by showing the waterfall in its environment, you probably need to meter normally if you have multi-segmented (matrix, evaluative, honeycomb, etc) metering.  The same is true with the earlier image of the waterfall and the footbridge.

 

However, more careful metering is necessary when the waterfall dominates, or takes up a large portion of the frame.  Of primary concern is the total contrast in the scene.  This is especially important on sunny days.  When the sun strikes the water, it dramatically increases the contrast in the scene.  Try using your spot or partial metering mode to check the contrast range between the bright water and the dark surrounding rocks or vegetation.  If you have more than a four-stop range, you’re probably not going to be able to take the picture successfully.

 

Here are two strategies that you can use to photograph waterfalls that dominate the frame:

 

• Use your spot or partial metering mode to isolate the exposure reading on just the water.  Since the camera will try to make the water medium tone in this scenario, add a stop or a stop-and-a-half of exposure to make the water come out white.  If the scene is within the four-stop range described above, the other elements in the scene will be properly exposed.

 

• Believing that the scene is within the four-stop range, you can take your exposure reading from some medium tone subject (even if it’s outside the portion you’re framing), lock in those values, and re-compose the shot.  Green vegetation near the falls is often a good medium tone subject, as long as it’s in the same light as the water.  Any element in the shade is usually about one stop darker than the same element in the sunlight.  Since you’re basing your exposure reading on a medium tone, no exposure adjustment is required.

 

Ideally, photograph your waterfalls on overcast days if the waterfall dominates the frame.  This is the best situation for getting the correct exposure, because the tonal range if the scene is at its lowest.  On sunny days, especially when the sun is striking the falls, be sure to check for the total tonal range in the detail elements that you want to maintain. 

 

On your next trip shooting waterfalls, remember to determine how much of the falls you want to include, use the guidelines to select a shutter speed, and plan your exposure.  Most important of all, take at least five shots of every scene! 

 

Jim Altengarten is the owner of exposure36 Photography.  He focuses on photographic education through workshops, classes, private lessons, and classes on CDs.  Information about these products is available at the exposure36 Website (www.exposure36.com) or via telephone at 1-866-FOTOS36 (toll-free).  He specializes in Canon EOS cameras (digital and film) and teaches several classes and workshops each year that enable EOS users to understand all of the functions of their cameras.