waterfall technique?

[emamb]

Hello
Trying to create the ethereal look you often see with photos of waterfalls using a fast shutter speed but never seem to get it right. Is there a secret or technique for these types of shots. Mine generally come out totally over exposed. Using a canon 10d and 28-105 lens.
Thanks
Emamb

[iwatkins]

Not fast shutter speed, you need a slow shutter speed.

Basically, fix camera to tripod and switch to Av mode. Set a good aperature of say 11 and fire off a shot. This should give you a fairly slow shutter speed.

I.e. aim for a shutter speed of around 1/10 - 1/5 of a second depending on light levels. But experiment, that is the beauty of digital. I've seen some stunning waterfall shots with 1 -2 second exposures. OK, you totally loose the detail in the water, but the rocks sticking out look wild with what looks like milk flowing around them.

Cheers

Ian

[AliasMoze]

Good advice so far.

Additionally, if you really want a wide aperture and slow shutter speed, pick up a neutral density filter. An ND filter simply cuts down the light, useful in situations when you have too much of it, like shooting long exposures with lots of ambient light.

[stevecratchley]

Hi

I am new to photography digi or otherwise. I also wanted to take this type of pic, I have a canon a40. Can someone step me thru the setting to get this shot.

Thanks

steve

[Laziferous]

I think most importantly, is be aware of the lighting. There is no way you can pull it off in bright sunlight. When I shoot waterfalls (or any moving water), and want to get this effect, I try to wait until just before dusk. That way, there is no direct light, and you can get longer exposures, exaggerating the effect. Also, using a smaller aperture, will force you to use a longer shutter to do this. It's all about the light though. I'm a newbie though... so take that as you like.

Here's one of my most recent:
http://home.comcast.net/~pottajava/misc/IMG_2830-small.jpg

Good luck! Make sure you post some when you've taken them.

[emamb]

Thanks for the tips and the great photo. It's just the effect i am looking for.
Emamb

[The Photo Tuell]

Don't give up on waterfalls just because the sun is out, either. Sometimes you can get lucky, like this (Peoples Choice award winning) shot:

http://www.pbase.com/image/19864539.jpg

Most of the time direct sunlight is bad, though. For longer exposures use a ND filter (basically works like sunglasses) to make things darker, requiring a longer exposure. Apertures like 22 or 32 will get that silky look, too.

Not everyone likes the silky look, but I think on most shots it's much better than the 'frozen water' look. I have more shots in my Waterfalls gallery, here: http://www.pbase.com/the_photo_tuell/waterfalls

[Roger_Cavanagh]

I just watched the last issue of Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape Video Journal. He was doing a piece in Iceland - where there are lots of waterfalls. :) He commented that he likes 1/8 sec. This is slow enough so that water does "freeze", and fast enough to avoid the really "smoky" look.

Regards,

[Roger_Cavanagh]

I just watched the last issue of Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape Video Journal. He was doing a piece in Iceland - where there are lots of waterfalls. :) He commented that he likes 1/8 sec. This is slow enough so that water does "freeze", and fast enough to avoid the really "smoky" look.

Regards,

[Roger_Cavanagh]

I just watched the last issue of Michael Reichmann's Luminous Landscape Video Journal. He was doing a piece in Iceland - where there are lots of waterfalls. :) He commented that he likes 1/8 sec. This is slow enough so that water does "freeze", and fast enough to avoid the really "smoky" look.

Regards,