Six techniques for shooting waterfalls

Shooting waterfalls is one of my favorite themes of landscape photography. The smooth water flow can create a very good picture by contrasting with the sharp and hard rocks or dense green plants around it. Use the following techniques when shooting to ensure that you can take some good photos.

1. Seize the opportunity

The best time to shoot the waterfall is after the rain, when there is enough water in the waterfall, and the rain will make the branches and leaves on the rocks more saturated, thus bringing a beautiful fluorescent green.

In addition, the soil will be washed into the river, bringing a beautiful golden yellow and brown, just like the color of the rural harvest season, and this color has a surreal feeling, just like painting.

2. Arrive at the scene in advance

If the waterfall you want to shoot is not in an inaccessible place, it will usually attract many tourists. The best way to avoid many tourists is to arrive earlier than these tourists, so that you can regard the whole scenic spot as your own site.

If there are too many tourists in the scenic spot, you can only look for opportunities in the gap between people or get close to the waterfall and cut out the people in the photo.

Don't forget to bring your tripod.

If you want to take pictures of smooth water flow, you need a tripod to fix the camera, so that you can take pictures of the dynamic effect of water flow with a slow shutter. At the same time, keep the surrounding rocks and trees clear in the photo. According to the speed of the water flow, you should adjust the shutter speed accordingly to capture the desired effect.

The shutter speed of the first photo above is 6.0 seconds, and the shutter speed of the second photo is 1.0 seconds. In addition, you should remember to bring the ND filter to ensure that you can shoot at a slow enough shutter speed.

Add people to photos

Adding people to a photo can help you add some interest to it and tell the story in it. For example, this waterfall in a certain place in Vietnam, I took some photos in the surrounding environment, but I didn't rush back to the hotel, but waited around, and then the couple came to the scene and stood on the bridge.

I think their presence makes the composition of the whole photo much richer than that of a single unmanned scene. So don't be afraid of the people in your photos. But remember, if you shoot with a hand-held camera instead of a tripod, make sure the shutter speed is fast enough.

5. Add points of interest to the foreground.

One way to make your waterfall photos more interesting is to add something in the foreground that can attract the audience's interest. If there is no foreground stone in the first photo, the photo will look dull, and when the stream flows over the stone, it will also create a stunning sense of movement. So don't be satisfied with a single angle, look for things around you that can strengthen the composition and take photos.

be careful

Be careful when walking on the rocks near the waterfall. The last thing I want to see is that the camera falls into the water and even hurts myself. Therefore, you should walk carefully near the waterfall and use a sturdy tripod, which can fully support the weight of the camera.

I also suggest that you cover the camera with a plastic bag, because there will be a lot of splash on the spot, and you should prepare a dry cloth to wipe the water droplets on the lens.