How to Capture Waterfalls

July 14, 2016
wta_admin
1 min read

Have you ever wondered how photographers get that glossy look in waterfalls? The water does not look like this to the eye, but as it turns out, this is a remarkably simple thing to do. Here's how to capture waterfalls in your photography:

capture waterfalls

What you will need:

  • DSLR Camera
  • Tripod
  • Neutral density filter

capture waterfalls

How to Capture Waterfalls with Your Camera

Step 1: Place your camera on your tripod

Set the tripod somewhere stable, and adjust the height.

Step 2: Set your shutter speed

1-2 seconds should be good, but feel free to play around and go lower or higher

Step 3: Set your aperture

Since the shutter will be open for such a long time (relatively), we want the aperture (basically the whole in the lens) to be as small as possible. Set your aperture as low as your camera will allow (bigger numbers are lower apertures), it will probably be around f/22.

capture waterfalls

Step 4: Set your iso

Set your iso as low as possible. This will probably be around 100.

Step 5: Add a neutral density filter

This step may not be necessary, but if your image is coming out white, an n.d. filter will lessen the amount of light going into your camera. The higher the n.d. filter, the more light that will be blocked. For example, a 0.6 n.d. will be a 4X reduction, whereas a 6.0 n.d will be about 1,000,000X reduction.

And that's it! Follow these steps and you will be able to capture waterfalls in your photos with ease. Happy Snapping!