I need some help - Waterfalls

Hi Everyone

I still have issues trying to take waterfall shots that look "painting" like and would appreciate any advise anyone is willing to give. I need Waterfall Photography for Dummies!

I planned on using my 28-105 lens and assume I should get a filter for this. Do I want a circular polarizer filter? Or should I purchase something else?

What do I want to look for in setting the shot? Little Sunlight?

Settings? I believe I am suppose to try to have my F up and my shutter down, but not 100% sure of this.

Any advice would be appreciated. There are some wonderful waterfall shots posted here and I would love to learn how to do this.

Thank you.

Donna: Most of the waterfall shots you see that have the silky look are simply rendered by a long shutter speed. What you get is motion blur of the water while everything that is stationary looks normal. A polarizer helps indirectly in that it wiil eliminate bright reflections. It also absorbs almost 2 stops of light so will slow your shutter speed considerably. The real essential ingredient is a tripod so that the camera is absolutely still while the shutter is open. If you're using a digital camera you can experiment with different shutter speeds to see which renders the scene as you like it. There's no single shutter speed that is the best for every situation. I often start around 1/15 second and adjust from there. The speed of the water is a major factor that determines the final result. Hope this helps. I'm sure others will offer some tips as well. >=))>

Donna,
Search on this topic"The Milky Silky Look" and you will find a number of responces to water shooting and many methods and equipment used. There is little sense in me telling you what I do if you are not interested in that result. This other thread has 30 different inputs which will give you a ballance of the whole scope of water shooting. Hope this helps you in your quest.

To get that painted look to your waterfalls you need to use a slow shutter speed of 1/4 second or slower. I try to use a variety of shutter speeds because you never know exactly what effect you will get. The speed of the water and the focal length of the lens all can affect how soft the water looks. Trying to do this on a bright sunny day is next to impossible unless you use a 3 or 4 stop neutral density filter. Best to do this only in subdued light - you may still need to use your polarizer or ND filter depending on the amount of light present. A tripod of course is mandatory.

The above advise is very good. I would also stress to watch your histogram if you're shooting digital. It's VERY easy to blow out the highlights, resulting in a less than pleasing image. Also, experiment with your shutter speeds. I like the "milky/silky" look, but I find that it gets old after awhile. If the scene is dark, you may not be able to capture much action in the water. But I find I like a little texture and movement if possible. It's all a matter of personal preference, which makes it fun to experiment to see what you like.

As for your lens, the wider the better if you want to capture the whole waterfall. If you have something wider than the 28-105 I would take it along too. Many times it's hard to get far enough back from the fall to compose the whole thing. But closer more intimate shots of sections of the waterfall cascades are fun too.

Have fun and let us know if you have any other questions!

I find that even with an ND4 and Circular Polarizer, I still need a fairly low light situation (early morning/late evening/heavy overcast) in order to get really smooth water (which I'm a fan of). At times I've used exposures as long as 6 or 8 seconds in low light situations. If that's a look you want, I'd suggest really paying attention to the highlights. It's easy to accidentally wind up with a few blown out areas in an otherwise very nice shot.

You don't need to use any filters, though, depending on the effect. The polarizer will remove some reflection, and may at times reveal detail under the water. However, if you want reflections, you may not want the polarizer effect. I'd suggest turning it as you compose and looking at the difference it makes.

I always use a polarizer for waterfalls to saturate the colors. It also helps protect the lens from the waterfall spray. The spray is full of fine grit and you don't want that on your lens! I find I have the best luck with waterfalls on overcast days where the light is more even. I don't include any sky in the shot, of course. As for "the silky look," I avoid it like the plague. People have been taking photos like that since the 1850s and for me it's just a boring cliche'. My favorite shutter speed is more like 1/30. Tripod generally required.


Kent in SD

Other than filters, try to get there when there's no direct light on any part of the scene. Overcast days or times when the sun is obscured by something (e.g. canyon wall) are best. In direct light the contrast range will almost always be extremely high in these places and you will likely get clipping in the highlights or shadows and have to sacrifice fine detail.

Guy

Thanks for all the good tips. I guess I should have said I will be using a Nikon D200.

I will try these ideas and pray LOL NH has so many different waterfalls so I'm hoping to get something worth posting when I return in a few weeks.

Donna since you have the D200 you will be able to watch your histogram and experiment with all kinds of shutter speeds. Have fun and show us your results!

I've tried this only once so far, using only a CP (and of course a tripod) on a bright sunny day, and needless to say, I had to stop down to awful aperture values (f/32 anybody? ). Of course, diffraction ruined everything, it looked silky smooth all over the image.

So, what am I saying? This: If you encounter lighting conditions that require you to stop down past f/16 or f/22, I'd resort to taking a series of shots at wider apertures with faster shutter, and then blend them in photoshop, which can also create the silk effect.

Basil

There is another effect that you might like: multiple short overlapping exposures. The result is something like the "silky" look, but with some texture in the water. Try 8 or more exposures, with the lens closed down 3 (or more) stops to compensate for the total exposure. Note that ocean waves breaking on the shore can also benefit from this technique.

Wow, Some really great advice here of many different angles and methods. The only other thing I would possibly look into would be a rather expensive filter from Sing Ray(?) Called a vari-ND. You can dial in 10 stops allowing you to take blurred/silky falls in brioght sunlight! Yet I have never used it, nor seen testimonials.

http://www.singh-ray.com/varind.html

$.02

I have that filter and used it just the other day at Palouse Falls. Overcast but bright day. It brought down the shutter speed to what I wanted.
It will bring down the shutter speed even in bright sunlight, but I certainly wouldn't want to photograph waterfalls or streams in bright sunlight. You'll still have the contrast problems that only an overcast day can solve (or a lot of way too tedious Photoshop work)

One thing I will mention about the Vari-ND is that if you also want to polarize the scene to eliminate glare from the water, rocks, and vegitation, place the polarizer on after the Vari-ND. In other words, the light from the scene needs to go through the polarizer first otherwise you won't get the polarizing effect.
The Vari-ND works, I believe, on the concept of cross-polarization: the filter, I think, is actually two polarizers placed face to face. The filter itself doesn't seem to affect the same changes as a solo polarizer does; I couldn't see the glare being removed from the water like a single polarizer did.
And if I placed a regular circular polarizer on the lens first, then added the Vari-ND, I could see no changes (polarization effects) no matter how I turned either the polarizer or the Vari-ND. But polarization worked if I place the Vari-ND on the lens first and then added the polarizer. (Must be something to do with quarter-wave filters or other gobbledygoop)

You could try just using two polarizers, but I've found that can induce some strange color shifts ( a deep blue cast ). Apparently, Singh-Ray has solved or avoided that problem.
The Vari-ND certainly is a nice filter to have in your bag though....

Don't forget to use a cable release whenever you have a tripod setup, especially if you're planning on a slow shutter speed.. It is a definite MUST HAVE (otherwise the results will be worse than if it were shot handheld.)

Another item to think about. Since you will be shooting slow shutter speeds . . . watch the bacground and foreground elements in the photo. Often, you will have foliage in the background or foreground -- sometimes intentionally as a framing device or to show scale. If there is any wind, they will be blurred, too.

As an alternative to what Patricia said, I just use the timer on my camera. Since it's not like trying to capture animal action, I don't really care when the exposure begins, just that I'm not touching the camera when it does.