Photographing Waterfalls

by Wes Corbett

Hiking to a waterfall is always a great adventure. Just count the tourists and cameras at any of Yosemite’s Falls on any given summer day!  Waterfalls evoke a mixed combination of responses including a sense of relaxation, power and magical wonder. 

Taking the photo you want usually depends on the “look” of the water you wish to capture cascading over the falls. The two photos here represent two different ways to photograph falls based on shutter speed. Neither photo represents how the falls looks to the naked eye.

Lewis Springs Falls in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park is located less than a mile from the Sky line Drive. I hiked in with a Manfrotto tripod equipped with a Gitzo ball head to hold my Cannon Elan 7 with a Tamron 28-300 lens and circular polarizing filter.

I was using Kodak 400 speed film for its flexibility with variable light and motion. After getting the composition I wanted in my viewfinder and setting the shutter speed, I set the self timer to release the shutter and eliminate as much movement as possible. The aperture was selected automatically.

In photo A, a fast shutter sped of 1/500 of a second was selected to stop or freeze the movement of the water. It provides a dramatic tension and a sense of the explosiveness of the falling water. In photo B, a slow shutter speed of 1 second was used to create the milky white flow providing a much more tranquil affect. This technique is quite popular today.

There is no one right way to photograph a waterfall. The choice is subjective and based on the preferences of the viewer. Both of the above photos are creative interpretations of reality. Which one do you like?

A.  Fast Shutter Speed p

Look at the separation of water droplets.  q

B.  Slow Shutter Speed  p

The the fast moving droplets blur creating a satiny effect.  q