Photographing Rivers, Cascades and Waterfalls

Rivers, cascades and waterfalls. The very trio of words paint a distinct mental picture. In some pictures, we see the movement of the water frozen in time. In other photos, the water takes on a white cottony effect as it flows through and over these geologic wonders. How is this effect created?

The creative tool used to control this white flowing appearance is shutter speed. How fast the water flows decides which shutter speed setting to use.

Shutter speeds as fast as 1/15 second can create the cottony effect. Another variable, besides the speed of flowing water, is the amount of cottony effect you want. A shutter speed of 1/15 second gives you a minimum effect. A 2-second shutter speed greatly increases this effect.

The only way to learn how to create the effect is to experiment by shooting scenes at each of the shutter speeds range between and including 1/15 second and 2 seconds. Note the shutter speed setting for each image so you can compare the differences between the images.

Relate the shutter speed setting of the photo you like to the speed of the flowing water. The faster the water, the faster the shutter speed. Conversely, the slower the water, the slower the shutter speed.

For average flowing water, shoot at 1/4 second and then bracket one stop over and one stop under from the 1/4 second shot. Bracketing your shots is a method of assuring at least one of your shots has the amount of effect you want. For faster water, start at 1/8 second; for slower water start at 1/2 second. As you gain experience shooting flowing water, you can estimate what shutter speed you need.

Because we are using such slow shutter speeds, a sturdy support is needed to shoot clear, crisp photos. The best support is a tripod. If one is not available, substitute by steading your camera against a wall, rock or other sturdy support. Even a monopod will work, if you are really steady.

Another accessory used to prevent camera movement is a cable release. If you don't have a cable release or if your camera doesn't have a cable release socket, you can use your camera's self-timer feature to trip your camera's shutter.

Sensor speed (ISO) is another consideration when shooting moving water. It is very difficult to get the slow shutter speeds required if you use a high ISO, such as 400 or higher. Use a slow ISO so you to get down to the slower shutter speeds.

Sometimes, even the slowest ISO, it might not be enough to get to the shutter speed you need for a certain shot. When faced with this situation, use a neutral density filter. These filters reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor and come in several different intensities. The manufacture marks the intensity of the filter by a density number such as ND 0.3 or a filter factor such as 2X. Common densities range from 0.1 to 0.9 Filter factors range from 2X to 8X. The amount of light reduced range from 1/3 stop for the 0.1 density to 3 stops for the 0.9 density.

You can decide which filter you need by determining the slowest ISO your DSLR will allow you to shoot and comparing that speed to the shutter speed you want to shoot. That difference is in stops. Then choose the neutral density filter for that number of stops. Usually, a 0.3 or 2X and a 0.6 or 4X will cover most of your needs. This gives you a 1-stop or 2-stop reduction in light if used singularly or a 3-stop reduction if stacked.

By using neutral density filters, and shooting on a cloudy day or in shaded conditions, you can use a large depth-of-field setting such as f11 or f16. Using these f-stop settings will hold more of the foreground and background in focus than if you used a smaller f-stop.

Another great accessory lending itself to exploring your creativity is the polarizing filter. Experiment by shooting frames with and without this filter. The polarization removes the reflections from the wet rocks and quiet pools of water, plus it perks up the colors of the scenes.

If you have had problems getting the cottony effect in the past, using these techniques and tools will allow you to create beautiful cottony flowing water photos.

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