Photographing waterfalls
Waterfall Country is the name given to an area around the head of the Vale of Neath in South Wales where an unusually large number of publicly accessible waterfalls are located. I travelled there is February 2017 the day before Storm Doris struck the UK bringing torrential rain and winds that reached 94 mph to the Brecon Beacons where I was staying. Undeterred I managed to get a few half-decent photographs of Henrhyd and Sgwd Ddwli Falls that made me determined to make a return visit in the hope of experiencing better conditions.
Fast forward to January 2020 and I booked a two week trip to Wales, The first week was to be spent in the Brecon Beacons so I could revisit the Waterfall Country and the second week would see me staying at Beddgelert in North Wales hoping to photograph besides the beautiful landscape of Snowdonia two other photogenic waterfalls I particularly wanted to visit – Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed and Aber Falls which is located about two miles south of the village of Abergwyngregyn.
By March coronavirus arrived and along with everyone else I have been in lockdown for most of the time since – my eagerly anticipated trip was cancelled and currently I am not planning to be in Wales before next Spring – if all goes well...!
Although, living in Norfolk I have always drawn to water with my landscape photography – both coastal waters and cascading streams and waterfalls. For me there is no finer sight than a majestic waterfall tumbling over rocks and watching huge quantities of water crashing into the depths below. However, I quickly learnt that trying to photograph waterfalls and capture everything I witnessed was much harder than I thought.
Over the past few years, I have also watched numerous videos about photographing waterfalls produced by some of the most well-known photographers and last year I spent a day at Wyming Brook, in the Peaks with Tesni Ward where with her guidance I came away with increased knowledge and some memorable images. Below I have put together some notes explaining how I now plan for trips and go about taking photographs of waterfalls.
Keeping things dry - First things first, as with any outdoor photography you need to be prepare for every eventuality and waterfalls produce lots of spray in the air. As with crashing waves with coastal photography when you are standing near the foot of even a relatively calm fall your lens, filters, camera, and yourself will probably get covered in spray.
Here is a list of the items I normally take with me on a waterfall-shoot:
Waterproof jacket and over trousers and do not forget to also pack a waterproof hat
Waterproof camera bag cover. Not only to protect your equipment from rain or spray, but for when you put your gear down on muddy and/or sodden ground.
Wear wellingtons with a good sole that provides grip in wet and slippery conditions. I also pack an old pair of waders as these provide me with more protection particularly if I need to kneel down to compose a shot.
Remember you will need plenty of lens cloths and a towel to dry your lens/filters and camera before putting it away in your dry bag.
Finally, an umbrella. An umbrella can shield you and your camera in between shots and can be especially useful if it has been raining and water is dripping off trees above you. I have a ‘Blunt’ umbrella myself that I have found particularly useful.
Keep safe - Water is dangerous and being safe is more important than anything else – no photograph is worth taking unnecessary risks to capture. You should never enter into fast moving water, nor should you enter water you do not know the depth of. Equally, you should assume that the banks of the river (particularly wet rocks) are like ice, so take small steps and tread carefully.
Also be careful how you move about - holding a tripod and camera could easily cause you to lose balance, causing you injury and damage to your camera and other gear.
Finally, keep all trouser pockets, coats, jackets, camera bag etc. fully closed and secure so that you do not lose anything in the water.
Tips for capturing better waterfall photographs
Avoid the sky - Generally, I prefer to photograph waterfalls on an overcast day as it creates all-around illumination, lighting the scene evenly and helps me to control the overall exposure throughout the image.
Shooting tight also helps to make a much more intimate scene, dedicating the frame to what is best about that composition and location without the distraction of a much brighter shape at the top of the image that conflicts with the falls and its surroundings.
When to shoot – It is a good idea to research each location and time your visits to provide the best chance of capturing the image you wish to achieve. Visiting at different times throughout the year also gives you the best opportunity to get to know the location and understand its seasonal differences for example lush green in summer versus the golden colours of autumn.
Waterfalls also take on very different moods and looks throughout the year as the rate of water-flow can vary from a ‘trickle’ in summer to a ‘raging torrent’ during the winter. Also, after heavy rainfall at any time in the year within a few hours water levels can rapidly rise and the waterfall will take on an entirely different mood and appearance.
Understanding water levels, you are likely to encounter is also important not only for reasons of safety but because they could dictate if certain compositions are still accessible or if when water levels are higher, they become unsafe and/or inaccessible.
A visit in wintertime in cold weather may even result in the falls freezing and the opportunity to capture a unique image. So, being flexible with your visits will allow you to get the most out of any location.
Composition – As with every other type of photography composition is the key to good waterfall photography. Using natural elements to convey depth or the use of lead in lines can work well as does using the natural shape of the river to join the foreground with the main focal point in the scene.
Here are a few ideas that you might try:
Use prominent foreground subjects, such as a fallen tree, a big boulder or fallen leaves, to add additional impact and scale to your images.
Shoot at the base of waterfalls from a low position just above the water for a unique perspective in shallow, calm rivers, .
Keep a good margin either side of the falls. This is important as the falling water will be the brightest part of the image that your eye is drawn to, so remember to have some breathing space around it.
Lookout for lead in lines to take the eye through the image, with the path ending at the falls. Look for natural elements in the water, or even the blurred and sweeping lines made by water bubbles on a long exposure. They are all an effective way of creating a journey for the eye.
Also look for trees or natural elements which can frame the waterfall or, at the very least, help direct the eye to the falls.
Finally, make sure you use a good, sturdy tripod. Not only will it provide a solid base if you plan to use a long exposure it will also slow you down allowing time to frame images correctly with the necessary precision.
Camera settings for photographing waterfalls
Shutter speed - The main element you can alter in any photograph of a waterfall is how the water appears, and this is controlled solely by shutter speed.
There is no firm rule here when it comes to the perfect shutter speed, and it is totally down to how much water there is in the scene, how fast it is moving on the day, and also – more importantly – how you want it to look. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze splashes, or a long shutter speed to blur any movement.
Experiment with your shutter speed to create your desired effect whilst other settings, such as aperture and ISO, will help to balance the exposure and determine what shutter speeds you can use with the given ambient light.
Aperture and ISO - Select a low ISO – usually around 100 is a good starting point.
Use a narrow aperture (between f9 and f11 is a good place to start) to give you a large depth of field, then focus roughly a third into the scene for good front-to-back sharpness and take the shot.
Neutral Density Filters - A neutral density (ND) filter are the easiest way to obtain the shutter speed you want, and these filters come in different options of density strengths known as stops.
Remember, with waterfalls the longer the shutter speed, the more blurred or ‘milky’ the water will look. However, use too long a shutter speed and the water starts to lose its energy and appeal. Conversely, if the shutter speed is too short the water can become ‘messy’ – try and achieve a happy medium. However, since this is all totally subjective play around and experiment until you achieve the desired effect and find what you yourself like
Photographing waterfalls, most people start with a 3-stop (0.9) ND filter, then move onto to a 10-stop (3.0) filter and beyond that will allow you to shoot well over thirty second exposures in bright light.
Personally, I use Lee filters and for most scenarios normally use either a 4-stop (1.2) or 6-stop (1.8) filter, to give me the length of exposure and water effect I tend to prefer when photographing waterfalls.
Polerising Filters - If I could have only one filter in my camera bag this is it and when there is a waterfall in the frame, I instinctively reach for my Lee Circular Landscape Polarising filter. Used in front of the lens and rotating for best effect, it cut downs any surface reflections and boosts natural colours.
A polarising filter also reduces reflected glare from wet rocks, shiny leaves, and water highlights and also increases colour saturation. A polariser also acts like a neutral density filter, blocking the incoming light by 1-2 stops and hence increasing shutter speed length to blur any water movement.
Sometimes a polariser is the only filter needed when photographing waterfalls, so I put this on first without any ND filters to see if it provides the desired shutter speed.
My essential Waterfall photography checklist
Using a sturdy tripod for long exposure photography is essential
Use a cable release/self-timer to reduce camera shake
Use Manual mode
Set your camera to ISO 100
Compose your shot then without filters on (you will not be able to focus effectively through the viewfinder with a heavy ND filter in place)
Choose the aperture and then set the focus point
Attach your polarising filter and rotate for best effect
Set the shutter speed so it is a balanced exposure – use the histogram to help
Take a photo as a test shot to check the composition and exposure length
Change your shutter speed to get the desired effect you are after. If requiring a longer shutter speed, attach your chosen ND filter
Take your photograph and review the results
Always use the histogram while reviewing images to check for blown out highlights. You want the histogram limit to be right on the edge of clipping the brightest white on the waterfall. There will be some room for highlight recovery if shooting raw
I also find it useful to use Live View to help ‘see’ through more dense ND filters – speeding up operational time, aiding composition, and gauging exposure accuracy
Always check your lens and filters for waterfall spray, wiping between shots
Summary
Photographing waterfalls can be challenging since it’s hard to envisage how shutter speeds will affect the water in a scene until you’ve taken it, but with plenty of practice and by following a view basic ‘rules’ it is possible to take compelling and interesting images of waterfalls.
There are some great locations to seek out in the UK including in Wales, the Peak District, Yorkshire (Dales and Moors), the Lake District, and beyond in Scotland that I have been lucky enough to visit in the past and hopefully when normality returns I can plan some new adventures. However, I’m not going to wait until next year before I visit my next waterfall location – in the past weeks I have researched some locations in the Peak District and Yorkshire that are about three hours away by car that I can get to and back during a single day without too much difficulty – These include:
Middle Black Clough which can be found at the end of the Longdendale Valley near the Woodhead Reservoir on the A628.
Harmby Falls located in the small village of Harmby, a short distance to the east of Leyburn in Wensleydale.
River Swale waterfalls on the River Swale in Richmond
Hopefully the results will feature in my ‘Recent Work’ gallery in the near future.