How to shoot waterfalls

Waterfall shooting techniques are as follows:

1, shutter

When shooting waterfalls, the most important shooting parameter is shutter speed. With the change of shutter speed, the picture effect of waterfall is also different: from water drop to wire drawing effect, to satin effect, and finally to atomization effect.

(1) high-speed shutter solidification splash moment

When shooting waterfalls, it is hoped that the picture will give people a stronger visual impact and make the picture more shocking, which can be achieved by solidifying the moment when the spray splashes. Generally speaking, waterfalls need a shutter speed of11000 s or faster to clearly capture the moment of splash. It should be adjusted at any time according to the speed and flow of water and the surrounding environment.

(2) The slow door shows the water flow trajectory.

Record the trajectory of the water flow with a slow door, showing the softness of the water flow as silky as fog. Generally speaking, the shutter speed of 1s-5s can make the water flow have a very obvious atomization effect.

However, because shooting silky water requires extremely slow shutter speed in bright environment, it is very important to control exposure. Use a small aperture with low sensitivity and a medium gray density mirror (nd mirror). Generally speaking, the medium gray density mirrors of ND4 and ND8 can meet most shooting requirements.

When shooting waterfalls, the shutter speed can be taken as the first priority attribute, and the aperture and sensitivity can be adjusted according to the shutter speed to achieve accurate exposure. Adding 1 exposure will make the water flow whiter.

When shooting waterfalls, especially the silky water flow, in order to make this fairyland-like picture reveal a mysterious and fantastic beauty, we can try to choose the white balance of the camera as the cool tone when shooting, so that the water flow appears blue and cold.

2. Focus

When shooting waterfalls, the aperture is generally small because of the slow shutter speed. It is best to focus on the middle of the waterfall or the stone in the middle of the waterfall. If there are no stone branches in the middle of the waterfall, you can focus on the objects near the waterfall, and the depth of field is large, so don't worry about whether the image is clear or not.

3. Photometric determination

When shooting waterfalls, the center key is generally selected for average metering, and the area in the center of the picture 1/3 is used for metering. Of course, there are many reflections of the water flow, so it is very likely that the picture will be darker than the actual one by using the waterfall in the center of the picture (white plus black minus principle), so it is suggested to increase the exposure compensation,+1EV~+2EV, so as to make the light brightness of the picture normal.

You can also measure the light of vegetation around Liu Shui Waterfall. Because Liu Shui Waterfall is mostly distributed in mountainous areas, vegetation and rocks are dark, and the light measurement results may lead to brighter pictures, so you need to reduce the exposure compensation,-1EV~-2EV.

Evaluation metering can also be performed, that is, metering the whole picture. Waterfalls account for a large proportion and surrounding vegetation accounts for a small proportion, so it is necessary to increase the exposure compensation of 1~2EV; When the waterfall is small and the surrounding vegetation, rocks and other environments occupy most of it, it is necessary to reduce the exposure compensation of-1~2EV.

4. Shooting angle

The elevation angle is approximately vertical, which is called large elevation angle. Looking up can show more details of the waterfall and make it look higher. On the contrary, shooting from a height gives people the feeling of overlooking. The overhead lens has a wide field of vision and is unique in the broad scene.

Step 5 write a composition

(1) picture composition: adding foreground scenery to the picture to form a picture can not only give full play to the effect of picture composition, but also set off the ambient atmosphere and explain the scene conditions at that time. When shooting waterfalls, the natural frame formed by trees can highlight the main body.

(2) Foreground composition: Foreground composition is to cover with the object closest to the lens, which reflects the relationship between virtual reality and distance and increases the layering of the picture. This is called foreground composition. When shooting a waterfall, it can be used as a foreground, a flower, a mountain or even a person.

(3) Line composition: The waterfall itself forms the outline and shape. Lines are also divided into horizontal lines, vertical lines, curves and straight lines, and different lines present different picture effects.

(4) Contrast composition: Contrast between light and shade is a frequently used technique in photography. Using the contrast of light and shadow can create a good artistic effect.