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Positioning
Placing yourself in the right position for taking your waterfall picture is very critical to the success and satisfaction of your waterfall picture. Taking the picture in just any position will do in a hurry but in the end you will not be satisfied. If you take the time to get to a position that may be uncommon, and even may be difficult to get to you may find that the extra effort and time is worth it to get the best waterfall picture.
Be careful when climbing over rocks or down cliff sides you can fall unexpectedly and get hurt and if you are in a remote area it may be some time before someone comes along to help you. Getting in the right position for a waterfall picture is tough sometimes but you must weight the cost, it is not worth it if you get hurt and damage your equipment in the process.
Time Value and Exposure Factor
In order to take custom waterfall pictures you must have the capability of adjusting the amount of time light is allowed into the sensor and the volume of light that is let in at one time. These two values are typically called exposure factor and time value. Exposure factor or aperture value is how wide the opening is when the shutter is opened and the digital sensor or film is exposed.
Over exposing a waterfall picture can be very disappointing once you get back home and see the results. It is important that you are familiar with these settings before you get to that perfect place, in the perfect position, and during the right season. Familiarize yourself with these settings on your camera before you leave on your trip, take a couple of pictures and look at the results, after writing down or noting which pictures have what settings.
The time value is the favorite setting of waterfall picture photographers. This setting allows you to manipulate the amount of time the digital sensor or film is exposed, and when moving water in a waterfall is involved you will achieve a blurred effect, that gives the viewer of the waterfall picture a sense of realism and motion. The aperture value cannot be ignored when manipulating the time value. Typically you will need to have a very small aperture opening to minimize the volume of light allowed in at once since the time has been increased that light will be allowed in to the sensor.
In the evening dusk hours of the day and in the early morning are the best hours to take waterfall pictures. The reason is because of the powerful sunlight that is present during the noonday and afternoon hours. Too much polar filtering can have a degraded affect on waterfalls pictures so it is best if you can plan to take the waterfall pictures at a low light time of day.
Overall you should have fun at what you are doing if you become too stressed or under pressure when trying to achieve the waterfall picture results you want then you need to take a break and relax. Do not get stressed out over something that should be enjoyable. Plan and take your time when going on a waterfall picture adventure, you may want to visit some of the places I have taken waterfall pictures of in West Virginia, if so visit our ‘Where to take Waterfall Hikes’ page for some directions, descriptions and maps. |
