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The call of the waterfall
This entry is done at the request of Paul Leasure, at Leasurefineart.com for possible publication.
While developing our own personal styles of photography, we often experiment with different subject matter and styles. When I made the decision to photograph for the sake of art rather than just for documenting memories, I wanted to capture grand landscapes. Those far reaching scenic views were what drew me into photography in the first place. You can find examples of what I am talking about in the Blue Ridge Parkway room of my gallery . However, in October, I decided to broaden my horizons to include a subject that I had been reading about...Waterfalls.
What draws me to waterfalls? I love the look of water in motion, and ways in which it can be captured. A waterfall, or even a stream cascading over rocks is an opportunity to show the motion of water. When I photograph a waterfall, my intent is to represent it as a calm and serene scene, when in fact it is hard to escape the pure power of water in motion. On the other hand, one can photograph a waterfall and show that power, and it's uncontrollable nature. It all comes down to how you decide to capture the water through the lens of the camera.
Photographing waterfalls is not difficult at all, but it does require understanding some advanced concepts. You must be comfortable with your camera and its controls. Photographing waterfalls is best done using a camera with at least a shutter priority mode, and preferably a full manual setting. You need to understand what effect the shutter speed plays in the appearance of the picture. The equipment needed for this type of photography is a tripod, remote release (or a self timer), polarizing filter, neutral density filters, and an 81A warming filter. More on those in a minute.
When I am choosing a waterfall to photograph, I try and research it beforehand. This saves a lot of walking, because with only a few exceptions, waterfalls are accessible by hiking trails only. I have recently purchased a book that has served me well to plan future Treks to waterfalls. North Carolina Waterfalls: A hiking and photography guide, by Kevin Adams is a great reference to waterfalls in my area. I also research on the internet at sites like ncwaterfalls.com which is a photo gallery that gives location information and, of course, pictures of various waterfalls. This allows me to see if it will likely be worth the hike.
One very important thing to remember when doing waterfall photography is that you always put your safety first. You will be around rushing water, and very slick rocks. Part of getting a good composition on waterfalls might be leaving the main trail, or the maintained viewing platforms. Watch where you step, if you slip bad things can occur. You also need to be mindful of the vegetation around the falls. Many of the plants only grow in the constant mist of the cascading water, and are rare. Don't step all over them. Also, some of the best times to photograph waterfalls is in the fall, winter, and early spring. Be aware that water temperatures can become quite cold, and you might just find yourself standing in water to get the right composition. Wear footwear that will protect you from the cold, and keep your feet dry.
Once I find the location, I will spend up to an hour moving around to see the different compositions available to me. After I have chosen several good places I will set the camera up on the tripod. This is important because I use very long shutter speeds to capture the movement. I also plug in my remote release, so I don't jar the camera when releasing the shutter.
To help reduce the shutter speed, I will shoot with a smaller aperture, which allows less light to reach the sensor. This also provides greater depth of field. I would also recommend shooting with the slowest film, or lowest number ISO for a digital. I shoot at ISO64, f/8, and 1-5 seconds for the vast majority of my waterfalls. This will yield that silken, cottony effect in the froth of the water.
Increasing the shutter speed to quicker than 1/2 second will start to freeze the water and you can make out droplets in the air that our eyes can't see in detail. That is the other end of the motion spectrum. It is up to the photographer as to which they want to capture. Neither is better than the other, just personal taste.
One filter I will always use when photographing a waterfall is a polarizing filter. This reduces the surface glare of the water, and saturates the colors at the same time. It also acts as a 2 stop neutral density filter (slowing the shutter speed by 2 full stops). There are times I need to remove a blue color cast caused by clouds and shadows, at these times I add an 81A warming filter. I would not suggest using anything more powerful than the 81A because it will give the froth in the water a different tone.
My goal is to reach between one second and five seconds shutter speeds depending on the speed of the water and the effect I want to achieve. If my shutter speed is too fast, I will add neutral density filters to reduce the shutter speed. A neutral density filter is gray and does not add any color, but reduces the amount of light that reaches the sensor, or film.
While it may seem like a lot to do, it only takes a matter of minutes to set up after you have chosen your spot and composition. I always take several shots at the locations with different shutter speeds and framing. This increases the chances that I will have a good image when I get home.
The best time to photograph a waterfall is after the sun is well up in the sky on a cloudy day. The clouds will diffuse the light from the sun and reduce shadows and highlights. Rainy days are about perfect, if you don't mind getting wet. A good rule of thumb is, if you have to wear sunglasses on the way to the falls, then you might as well not bother, and find something else to photograph.
Autumn Waterfall Photo Copyright © 2005 G. Kiser
Carpet of Water Photo Copyright © 2005 G. Kiser
Written by Greg A. Kiser
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Wow! Great Photos!! May I use them with your link at my site???? :) Show off your work a bit? Great write up also! Thanks for the read!
http://journals.aol.com/a2002v2002/BeautyinArt/ -
Autumn Waterfall is awe inspiring.
Sylvia -
I love waterfalls too! It's so lovely to watch and listen to them. I can still hear the roar of Iguassu Falls in my ears, that was quite surreal! Thanks for all your tips on shooting them. Jeannette.
10/25/06 6:10 PM
There is nothng like this near us. I'll keep looking~
Marie