How to shoot the waterfall?

Waterfalls are one of the most beautiful natural phenomena that can be photographed freely. Waterfalls are very popular among landscape photographers. Shooting waterfalls is a good way to go out and explore nature. Although the scenery of the waterfall looks good, you may not know how to shoot it. Here are six tips to help you take good photos of waterfalls.

Choose the right equipment.

Choose the right equipment to shoot waterfalls. Wide-angle lens is very important, which can broaden the perspective and ensure that you can capture the whole waterfall, or you can stand near the waterfall without shooting from a distance.

After finding the Great Waterfall and capturing it with appropriate equipment, you can prepare to take photos.

2. Try different shutter speeds

So, with the current equipment, how to take photos to convey the authenticity and beauty of the scene?

When shooting waterfalls, a lot of experiments are needed to find the best shutter speed. This step is related to trial and error, which is very interesting. Try taking photos at different shutter speeds, and then check the results to understand the differences.

It is recommended to take short exposure and long exposure shots between 1/500 seconds and a few seconds, and then see which photo style you like.

3. Freeze action

Effective waterfall photography depends on the type of image to be captured. If you want to shoot still water, you need to choose a faster shutter speed to freeze the movement of water, which can isolate the moving water and produce completely different effects.

4. Motion blur

Using a slower shutter speed will help capture the dynamic effect of water. If the water flow is very fast, please be careful not to use too long shutter speed, because the water will become a large white block without any outline.

Usually, a very low shutter speed per second will be used to get the best results. But if you hold the camera in your hand, you can't operate it, which will cause the camera to shake excessively.

Use a tripod

Having a tripod will make the camera more stable and increase the chances of getting good images. The main advantage of using a tripod is that it is easier to capture a clear waterfall image because the camera is not easy to move when exposed for a long time.

Using a tripod will make it possible to use a slower shutter speed, which will make the water appear smoother in the image, the image exposed for a long time will look more dramatic, and the smooth water will look more eye-catching.

If there is no tripod, you can install the camera on rocks or other objects to photograph all or part of the waterfall.

Use a polarizing filter

One of the best ways to add color to an image is to use a polarizing filter. This is a good way to deepen the color by increasing the color saturation. But remember, a polarizer can also reduce the amount of light entering the camera, which can increase the aperture by up to two steps.

Polarizers also help to eliminate glare and water reflection, and can be used to increase contrast, especially when shooting in bright light during the day.

When adding a polarizer, the water photographed should be blurred, depending on the speed of the water flow. The advantage of using a polarizer is that as the amount of light passing through the lens decreases, the exposure time and shutter speed can be increased, which makes it possible to create images using moving and smooth water.

With these practical skills, you can start shooting waterfalls!