One of the questions asked most often regarding waterfall photography is “how did you do that”?   The impression of water with that soft, silky appearance is a very easy technique, the main ingredients being camera, tripod, and moving waters.  In addition, it’s one of the great therapies in nature photography.  With a bit of patience and some trial and error, you’ll soon be on your way to capturing quiet water.  

Several factors come into play when attempting to photograph water.  Besides the camera and lens, a necessity will be a good tripod.  Time exposures, or long exposures,  are the norm for this exercise.  Depending on the volume or flow of water and lighting conditions, you’ll want to consider camera exposures from 1/4 second up to multiple seconds.  A general rule of thumb is that an exposure starting around one second is a great place to be.  Speeds faster than 1/4 second will yield unsatisfactory results.

A versatile wide angle zoom lens and a longer zoom lens are great for any outdoor photographer.  The wide angle lens gives you a valuable tool for larger waterfalls while the longer lens will help provide a closer and more intimate feel to your images.

There are a couple of ways to ensure that you get those longer exposures.  By placing your camera’s ISO setting around 50 you’ve added extra time to the exposures.  This helps reduce digital noise or film grain, improving image quality.  The use of a polarizing filter is a great tool for most color landscape photography, especially so when photographing water.  This filter reduces transmitted light by at least one and a half stops and also helps eliminate unwanted reflections and glare. 

From a weather perspective, you’ll want a cloudy or overcast day.  Even better, fog, light rain or a heavy mist can give an added dimension and color saturation to your images.  If those conditions are not present, work in early morning or late evening light.  

Flow of water can be determined by multiple weather conditions: rain, snow melt, drought, and the season.  A roaring waterfall will end up being a large white area in your photograph, with little or no effect of soft, cascading water.  Consider a lower volume of water for this project.  Ideally, a gentle cascade of water over boulders and stones will be more pleasing, giving the water a more nondirectional look and helping create the lines necessary for strong compositions.

Although I call it quiet water, when out in the woods you’ll actually be listening for the sound of falling water.  Whether it’s the sound of water tumbling over stones or crashing over boulders, these are the places that present your opportunites. Various land maps can help guide you off the beaten path to falls and rapids that others might not be aware of.  Choose maps that show the waterfall icon along streams, not all do.

To improve your chances of nice compositions and ultimately beautiful photography, consider positioning your camera and tripod in the water, or on that boulder protruding mid-stream.  You’ll want to keep your socks and those quality hiking boots dry so plan accordingly.  An often overlooked item for this session is a good pair of river shoes, something that will provide a bit of traction on wet rocks and in the water.  They won’t keep your toes warm if the water is icy cold, but you’ll have dry socks and boots waiting for you on the river bank.  

The great thing about mountain photography is that all of the necessary elements are in place for photographing water.   There is no gentle slope to the terrain where one finds water lazily meandering along the way.  Depending on the valley or canyon, there are a series of falls and rapids as well as intermediate and dramatic shifts in the terrain.  Outdoor waterfalls can be abundant in these places. 

Careful research of the places you plan to visit can help improve your travel photographs.  For example, the Lakes District in Chile provides not only a great area for lakes photography but a stunning selection of waterfall photo opportunities.  Hours of research and map study paid off once I arrive.  One can spend days or weeks there and bring home a dazzling array of waterfall images for the photographic library.  

Taking a photography workshop can help you gain confidence and sharpen your visualization skills. If your instructor is good, you’ve found yourself in a unique positon: photographing places that the average tourist never sees and absorbing great information valuable for your photography passion.  

In summary, camera and lens, tripod, overcast conditions, and moving waters will all help provide great opportunities for your waterfall photography