Waterfall Photography Simplified

Use these instructions for waterfall photography and any moving water photography. This is how you will get the milky water effect, as we call it. These are basic instructions. Even the beginner can get incredible milky water images. The most important thing here is an excellent Neutral Density Filter that allows you to slow down your shutter speed.

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Setting up your Waterfall Photography Shot

Step 1: You will need to put your camera on a tripod. You will also want to use a remote shutter release to expose the image. You can also use the camera’s self-timer if you don’t have one. You absolutely must use a tripod.

Step 2: Use live view

Step 3: Put your filter on your camera. Even on a cloudy day, you will want to use a Neutral Density Filter. It’s like sunglasses for your camera. You can do a more prolonged exposure, which makes the water movement’s silky effect. The darker the ND Filter, the longer you can expose it.

Step 4: Camera Settings

Set your camera to Manual mode
Set the aperture to the smallest one (most will be f/22, some f/29).
Set your ISO to 100 or the lowest your camera will allow.

Now looking through the camera, roll the shutter speed so the exposure level indicator goes to ‘0’ on the exposure scale at the bottom of the screen. Without a filter, you may not get lower than 1/15th sec. or even that low on a sunny day. This is why a neutral density filter is so important.

Step 5: Set your Camera on a 2-second timer or use your shutter release to expose the image. Evaluate the image. If your image has hot spots (areas of overexposed white spots), adjust your shutter speed and test again until it is just right. Remember, the darker the filter, the longer the exposure, and the milky flow looks better. Be sure to read about filters if you are not familiar with them.

Waterfall & Milky Waters Photography

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When to go: Since bright screaming sunshine is not our friend during waterfall photography, you will want to go on your adventure according to the weather. We sometimes get to our waterfall in the winter and find it completely frozen. Being partially frozen makes for powerful shots, but sometimes you don’t know until you get there. The bigger the waterfall, the fewer chances of it being completely frozen. Avoiding noon shoots is helpful, but you can still shoot on the brightest, sunshiny days with a good neutral density filter.

That’s the owner of the magazine there. She is single, by the way, searching for a traveling, successful, handsome photographer. She is the one who travels the world and takes all of the pictures. Kidding. We are trying to hook her up with a man with money so she can afford to bring us along on all the travel. We sit here and do all the work while she has all the fun. Don’t tell her we said this, please.

Watkins Glen – Check out the Gorge, and great spot to do photography.

Kaaterskill Falls, N.Y. – see full article

Waterfall Photography Simplified