Photo Tip Friday - Part 2: How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls

by Mary Denman
Twitter: @MaryDenman
Instagram: MaryFDenman

The Reedy River, normal water flow

Welcome back for Part 2 of How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls! In case you missed it, you can read last week's post here. 

(Note: Last week's photos of the falls were taken right after a torrential rainstorm. This week's shots are more typical of the water flow and were shot on a different day.)



We covered the two main options for taking waterfall photos: 
1) Stop the motion with a "fast speed" of film. Use an ISO of 800 or higher.
2) Blur the motion with a longer shutter opening. Use a time of 1/10 of a second or longer. (This second option requires a tripod or solid surface to set your camera on.) 

Photo Tip Friday - Part 1: How to Take Pictures of Waterfalls & Water

by Mary Denman
Twitter: @MaryDenman
Instagram: MaryFDenman

Waterfall by Mary Denman

Today's tip is Part 1 of a 2 Part series to help you understand how to take pictures of waterfalls and water. While you may not have a waterfall that you frequent regularly, it's good to learn what to do so when it's time to take a shot, you're ready and get the photo you want! 




First of all, there are two main ways to take pictures of waterfalls. 
1) Take the photo at a fast enough speed to stop the action of the water. 
2) Take the photo at a long enough exposure to make the water look "milky" and smooth. 

These techniques are very different so I'll teach you both. 

Let's get started.