Photography Tip – Shooting a Waterfall

I’m new to Oregon and there are a zillion waterfalls…OK actually more like 238 major waterfalls, but still that is a whole lotta waterfalls to photograph. I was on my way to the Oregon Coast last week and one of the smaller falls, Fern Rock Falls, was not socked in and so I stopped and spent some time photographing the falls. It’s been a while since I photographed landscapes and I had to put my thinking cap on to remember all of the steps to making a good image. While they are fresh in my mind, I thought I’d share my tips for photographing waterfalls.

Equipment Needed to Photograph Waterfalls

[icon name=”camera”] Camera – I know duh, but you do need a camera that allows you to control the aperture and the shutter speed. Most point and shoots and iPhones don’t have the necessary control to make an image that is something more than a snapshot for your social media.

[icon name=”camera”] Tripod – Also critical, because you are going to be working with long exposures and it will be impossible for even the best of you to hold your camera steady.

[icon name=”camera”] Wide Angle Lens – Depending on the size of the falls you are going to want a lens from about 16-35mm. Sometimes it’s nice to get details with a longer lens, but to get the whole falls you need to go wide.

[icon name=”camera”] Polarizer – Super critical, you can’t make the image without one, so don’t even think about trying without one. Even more important, don’t forget to rotate the filter so that it is working!

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Before the polarizer was turned

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After the polarizer was turned correctly

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Settings For Waterfall Photography

You can choose to shoot in Aperture Priority, Shutter Ppriority or Manual depending on your preference. I prefer to use Aperture because that is the easiest for me. Use what you are comfortable with not what you think you should be doing. In other words, manual focus is not the only/best way to make a nice image.

[icon name=”camera”] Aperture – You will want to use a narrow aperture (bigger numbers) in order to have enough depth of field that all of the falls and the environment are in focus. Something like F16 or F22. This will also help you achieve the long shutter speeds (often more than 1 second) to get silky cotton candy effect in your waterfall photos.

[icon name=”camera”] Shutter Speed – You’ll have to play with this one to get the effect that you want. This is a subjective thing and so embrace your inner artist and play with the speed until you get the look that you want. I like my waterfall photos to have that silky smokey look, but with some details so you know there really is water there. I try to start out at about 1 second and then go from there…

[icon name=”camera”] ISO – Go with a low ISO such as 100 in order to keep your noise levels low and to help get your shutter speed down where you need it to be.

Waterfall Photography Examples

Fern Rock Falls view from the foot of the falls

A wider view of Fern Rock Falls from the creekbed

Fern Rock Falls from the ledge on the side of the falls

Fern Rock Falls Location

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Fern Rock Falls Data

Landscape Photography Portfolio

I don’t have very many waterfalls (yet!) in my portfolio, but you can find these images and teh rest of my landscape images in my online photo gallery. You’ll be able to buy a print or license an image for your needs. And the cool thing is you can even just browse my photography! Check it out…HERE.

Oregon Coast Photography Workshop

I don’t have the dates set, but I am working on a plan to teach photography workshops here in Oregon. I’ll have the details on my Wildlife Nature and Creative Photography website…HERE.