NZPhotographer Issue 4, February 2018

How to: Capture Waterfalls
Waterfall photography tips with Richard Young
MCLEAN FALLS, THE CATLINS
EMBRACE THE CLOUDS
Photographing a waterfall on a sunny day can be
hard, direct sunlight on the water can result in an
uneven exposure; cloudy days offer better conditions
and use of longer shutter speeds. When waterfalls
are in the bush, they can also often be in complete
shade in the early morning and late afternoon on
bright days.
F/11, 1s, ISO100,18mm lens
CAPTURE THE MOVEMENT
The effect of flowing water in a photograph really
changes with different shutter speeds. To freeze the
water and capture its dramatic power; use a fast
shutter speed (1/500 or shorter). To achieve lovely
flowing, silky looking water; use a slow shutter speed
(1/4th second or longer).
FRAME THE WATERFALL
Make sure you include some still subjects like rocks
in your composition, so that the whole shot is not
just moving water. A strong foreground of rocks
and flowing water can also help add depth in the
photograph, leading the viewer's eye to the waterfall
behind.
14 NZPhotographer
ONLY BLUR THE WATER
If you are using a slow shutter speed to blur the water
with a long exposure, you will need to use a tripod.
When using longer shutter speeds on a tripod you
also need to use a cable release/remote (or set the
2-second timer) on your camera to get a sharp shot.
PHOTOGRAPH MCLEAN FALLS IN THE CATLINS ON A 7 DAY WILD SOUTH ISLAND PHOTOGRAPHY
TOUR: 1ST MAY - 7TH MAY 2018 WITH NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS