“Hurricane Hal,” formerly known as Bull Schmitt from the Light Photographic Workshops, is here in Croton on Hudson, New York shooting with me – because Hurricane Irene washed out his B&H seminar.
Today we photographed waterfalls – large and small. Here are a few tips, from Hurricane Hal and me, for capturing the beauty of flowing water.
• Use a tripod – to steady your camera during long exposures.
• Shoot at 1 second or more to blur moving water.
• Pack a ND (Neutral Density) filter, which will let you shoot at slow shutter speeds in bright light.
• A polarizing filter can also reduce the amount of light entering the lens.
• Use your camera’s self-timer or a cable release to avoid camera shake during a long exposure.
• Check your histogram to check your exposure.
• Bring a lens cloth to keep your lens clean.
• Use Live View to check your scene – composition, focus and exposure. Zoom in for precise focus.
Hurricane Hal and I hope to see you at the California Photo Fest in October in California.
Explore the light,
Rick
Explore all things Rick Sammon at www.ricksammon.info.
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Tags: Rick Sammon, Tips and Tricks, waterfalls
Good stuff. However, the shutter speed depends on the waterfall. The top image certainly was not at 1 second. If it had been, the waterfall would be white with no detail. On small waterfalls, I experiment. Sometimes 1/4 to 1/2 second can give an “angel hair” look.
On huge waterfalls, a very fast shutter speed can freeze the water and give a sense of the power of the falls.
Thanks for expounding on one of my favorite subjects.