Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Photography and portraiture - How to take good photos of waterfalls

How to take good photos of waterfalls

How to take good-looking pictures of waterfalls is as follows:

1. Shutter

When taking pictures of waterfalls, the most important shooting parameter is the shutter speed. As the shutter speed changes, the shape of the waterfall changes. The picture effects are also different: from water droplets to brushed effect, to satin effect, and finally fog effect, etc.

(1) High-speed shutter freezes the moment of splashing water

When shooting a waterfall, you want the picture to give people a stronger visual impact and make the picture more shocking. You can freeze the splashing water moment to realize it. Generally speaking, waterfalls require a shutter speed of 1/1000s or faster to clearly capture the moment of splashing water. It should be adjusted at any time according to the speed, flow rate and surrounding environment of the water flow.

(2) Slow door shows the trajectory of water flow

Use slow door to record the trajectory of water flow and express the softness of water flow like silk and mist. Generally speaking, a shutter speed of 1s-5s can produce a very obvious atomization effect on the water flow.

Since shooting silky and foggy water requires the use of a very slow shutter speed in a brighter environment, controlling the exposure becomes the key. Use low sensitivity and small aperture, and add a neutral density filter (ND filter). Generally speaking, an ND4 and an ND8 neutral density filter can meet most shooting needs.

Shutter speed can be the first priority attribute when shooting waterfalls, and aperture and sensitivity must be adjusted based on shutter speed to achieve accurate exposure. Increase the exposure by 1 stop to capture the water flow. Whiter.

When shooting waterfalls, especially silky water effects, in order to make this fairyland-like picture reveal a mysterious and fantastic beauty, you can try to adjust the white balance of the camera when shooting. Choose a cool color to give the water a bluish, cool color.

2. Focus

When shooting waterfalls, because the shutter speed is slow, the aperture will generally be smaller. It is best to choose the focus point in the middle of the waterfall or on the stone in the middle of the water. If When there are no stone branches in the middle of the waterfall, you can focus on objects close to the waterfall. The depth of field will be larger, and you don’t have to worry about whether the image is clear or not.

3. Metering

When photographing waterfalls, generally choose center-weighted average metering, and meter the central 1/3 area of ??the screen. Of course, water reflects a lot of light, so metering the waterfall in the center of the picture is likely to make the picture darker than it actually is (white plus black minus principle), so it is recommended to increase the exposure compensation, +1EV~+2EV, to make the picture brighter. normal.