Like so many adventurers, I love waterfalls. As a photographer, capturing the magic of the water rushing over the cliff is a favourite subject. Do you know how to photograph waterfalls?
The secret lies in the how you have chosen the camera settings for waterfalls. There are simple tricks you can do whether you have a DSLR or a point-and-shoot. It’s all about the amount of time the camera opens to allow the waterfall to imprint itself on your digital card (or film). This is the shutter speed, and its average time is 1/60 of a second. Regardless of your camera, you probably have more control than you realise.
Take a look at a few of my favourite waterfalls:
Haruru Falls in Bay of Islands, New Zealand
Shutter Speed: 1/100, Aperture: f/20, ISO: 200
Handheld
Multnomah Falls, near Portland Oregon, USA
Shutter Speed: 1.6 sec, Aperture: f/14, ISO: 200
Tripod and ND filter
Fuipisia Falls in Samoa
Shutter Speed: 1/125, Aperture: f/5.0, ISO: 200
Handheld
Salto Mbigua, Iguazu National Park, Misiones, Argentina
Shutter Speed: 1/1000, Aperture: f/2.8, ISO: 200
Handheld
Erskine Falls in Lorne, Australia
Shutter Speed: 1/5, Aperture: f/8, ISO: 200
Tripod
Erskine Falls in Lorne, Australia
Shutter Speed: 1/50, Aperture: f/5.6, ISO: 640
Handheld
Waterfall in Killarney National Park, Ireland
Shutter Speed: 1/25, Aperture: f/3.5, ISO: 800
Handheld
Tvindefossen Falls, Norway
Shutter Speed: 1/200, Aperture: f/10, ISO: 200
Handheld
Piroa Falls, New Zealand
Shutter Speed: 1/30, Aperture: f/9, ISO: 200
Handheld
How to photograph waterfalls:
If you want to freeze the water you need to use a faster shutter speed:
Whangarei Falls in New Zealand
Shutter Speed: 1/320, Aperture: f/10, ISO: 640
Handheld
- If you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera and typically use an automatic setting, you will want to set the camera to “S” for shutter priority (may be different on your camera). This will allow you to set the shutter speed while the camera will make the rest of the adjustments. Set your shutter speed for 1/100 to get started.
- If you have a point and shoot camera you can trick your camera into a faster shutter speed by putting it in sports mode.
If you want the effect of smooth water, you need to use a slower shutter speed.
The average person cannot hold a camera steady for longer than 1/30 second and will use a tripod starting at 1/20 seconds.
Whangarei Falls in New Zealand
Shutter Speed: 1.6 sec, Aperture: f/13, ISO: 200
Tripod and ND Filter
- Similar to above, set your DSLR or mirrorless camera to “S” for shutter priority. If you are taking a hand held shot, try it first at 1/20 second. To help yourself stay steady, hold the camera with both hands, elbows down at your side, and gently hold your breath before you take the shot. If your shot is clear, try again at 1/15 seconds. Or, if your original shot is blurry, try again at 1/30 second.
- If you have a tripod, set your camera on shutter priority, and set the shutter no faster than 1/20 second. I usually start at 1/5 seconds or slower if I have an ND filter. If it is too bright, try a shorter time.
- If you have a point and shoot camera this effect is a bit more difficult, as they are not designed for tripod shots. Your best option is the setting for the lowest light, either candlelight or night shooting. However, if this triggers your flash, you could try covering it up.
How to Photograph Waterfalls Summary: Set shutter at 1/20 or slower if you have a tripod to give the effect of flowing water rather than freezing the motion.
My Camera Gear:
- I currently shoot with an Olympus OMD Em5 Mark II often with an Olympus 14-150mm lens. Its mirrorless technology is a lighter weight, and I am thrilled with the image quality.
- Sarah shoots with an older version of the Canon 700D.
- Our tripod is a Sirui Tripod
- I prefer a Variable Neutral Density Adjustable Filter with the tripod to allow a slower shutter speed.
- I use Adobe Lightroom for organising, storing, and editing my photos.
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Smooth or rushing water, how do you photograph waterfalls?
it can be very fantastic to live near the waterfall. You can awake by its sound.Living in nature is perfect. Thanks for sharing such nice article. Also your shots are awesome.
Beautiful waterfall shots! Guess I need to go out and try some of your tips! 🙂 Thanks Rhonda!
Let me know how it goes.
I was trying to pick out my favorite waterfall photo but gave up because I like so many of them. I personally prefer the smooth water look but cannot seem to attain it with my point-and-shoot. There are manual settings that I could fiddle with, but I’m still unsure of what all the settings mean. This posts is actually quite helpful in that regard as now I have some sort of clue where to start. #WkendTravelInspiration
All the settings on the point and shoot are preset to do what the DSLR or mirrorless cameras do.
First off, your photos are so great! Love the settings and all the natural beauty. This post would be fantastic just with that. Tips are like frosting on the cake! So thanks for sharing both on #TheWeeklyPostcard. 🙂
I hope you can get something from the tips.
Gorgeous shots! I love the effect of smooth water on a waterfall #wanderfulWednesday
That’s my favourite way to shoot the waterfall.
What happened to my comment about the waterfalls. I know I put one in and it was a good one. Oh well, have a great day Rhonda.
Cruisin Paul
Great tips! Waterfalls are always such a treat to photograph. I love getting the smoother, almost mystical feel of the waterfall shots with the slower shutter speed! I never travel with a tripod though, so sometimes making sure I keep my hands still is a bit of a challenge!
Try holding the camera with two hands, keeping your elbows pointing down, arms close to your sides and hold your breath.
Great tutorial here, Rhonda.
Glad you enjoyed the tutorial.
I’m with you Rhonda. I love waterfalls, large ones, small ones fast ones and slow ones. I wished I lived near a waterfall so that I could see and hear the sound of the waterfall with the water falling down. I live in Essex County and the area has flat, very flat ground. The only thing Amherstburg has history, this area was involved with the war of 1812 and we have the Detroit River. Michigan is right across from where I live. I guess that’s OK.
See ya Rhonda.
Cruisin Paul
We live near a waterfall, but it’s not exciting enough to make this page. Everyone lives near something interesting. I live in a country that has no European history as old as 1812.
I tested various settings but my biggest obstacle to take better photographs is that I’m often too lazy to take the tripod with. If it’s not that, the light is not right, too bright to smooth the water with a long aperture. I like your smooth waterfall with the bridge and the people on it, because it shows the dimensions. #TheWeeklyPostcard
That waterfall is now hanging on my wall, it’s my favourite as well. As for light, have you tried bracketing your photos? That would be shooting the shot, then with a lower and higher exposure.
Love photographing waterfalls, we actually plan trips so we can stop to see and photograph them. You have been to quite a lot of them.
Like you, I love photographing waterfalls and we seek them out too.
Great tips (and photos of course) Rhonda, particularly like how you’ve shown the same waterfall with two different shutter speeds. I love getting the smooth water look but currently don’t have a tripod or ND filters (on my shopping list). Only if I can find a flat surface can I get away with the slower shutter speed. Think I should head down to erskine falls when I’m back in Melbourne, they’re just stunning #theweeklypostcard
Thanks David. I often use a flat surface as I don’t always want to carry the tripod with me.
Beautiful pictures and lovely information, thanks a lot for sharing with us and I would love to visit New Zealand anytime soon! @ knycx.journeying
I hope you get here, New Zealand is beautiful. There are lovely waterfalls all around the world.
I need to get a tripod. I have been playing with the shutter speed but cannot hold the camera still. So, I end up with a blurred background (or have to take many photos to see if I get one in focus). Love all your waterfall photos. I need to go and chase more waterfalls.
Try holding your breath before you take the shot, but if you are going slower than about 1/13 very few people can hold a camera steady.
This is a huge help as I am just now finally learning how to use the manual settings on my point and shoot. Thanks!
Thanks Tami. Once you get into it, you will find you use manual often. At this point, I only shoot in manual.
These are really useful tips – mostly for these kind of tips, i used to follow youtube; but here i think you have quite smartly given the illustrations and demonstrations.
I have never gotten into youtube. Perhaps one day. and Thanks.
Great tips and great photos as usual! #wkendtravelinspiration
Thanks Jim. Hope you find something useful here.
Beautiful photos! I love waterfalls too. Great camera tips, I have pinned your future reference.
Thanks Lucy and have fun shooting waterfalls.
Rhonda, this is so helpful, thank you! Pinned this post to reference the next time we travel to waterfalls. Can’t wait to play with the shutter speeds and see the different effects! Now to buy a tripod…
You could start with slower speeds and faster speeds in hand held. You will see a difference, but you won’t see the flowing waterfall.
Oh my god, your photos are FAB! I love waterfalls also – I find them so calming. Great tips!
Thanks Kathleen
This is exactly what I was looking for last week as I would be seeing some waterfalls soon and I regret a bit that I did not get amazing shots like this in Norway.
Thank you very much for the great tips. Bookmarked for sure! 🙂
Sorry I am a week late.
I’m impressed with how many waterfalls you have visited. This is a really helpful guide to anyone looking to photograph them. I love the soft water effect, looks like time is standing still.
I love waterfalls, and I seek them out when I travel. I also like the softer water.
I need to take my tripod out alot more when we go on major road trips, think I’ll be able to experiment with my camera more then.
Especially in New Zealand, there are waterfalls everywhere.
Thanks for these great tips, Rhonda! I love the surreal and magical effect of smooth water that you get using long exposure, but I like to travel light (hence no tripod), so I guess I’ll just admire others’ smooth waterfall photos like yours!
Thanks Michelle. I travel light too, but my camera and tripod about probably about 20% of my weight.
Thank you for the waterfall tips. I’m headed to Iceland in the fall, so this will come in handy. Going to sign up for your ebook now!
Yes, Iceland will be the perfect place to get some stunning waterfall images.
Thanks for the waterfall photography tips, Rhonda. I pinned them and I’m downloading your other photography tips/ There is always something to learn! I usually photograph waterfalls as rushing water as I rarely carry a tripod. I know I should, but my photos are mainly taken “on the run.”
As you can see, most of my photos are also with out a tripod, as I just don’t carry it too often.
Thanks for these tips. Just last week I was trying to figure out how to capture a photo of a waterfall with a specific look. I wish I would have these tips in hand. I love a good waterfall and it’s obvious that you do, as well.
Thanks Sara, sorry I was a week late for you. Hopefully, another opportunity will come around soon.
I love taking photos of waterfalls and they are awesome wonders to look at. It was a bit hard at first to get that first best capture but after practise, I am getting there. Great tips here.
I would love to see some of your shots.
Excellent post, Rhonda. Long exposure, short exposure, neither method is right or wrong like you say. It all depends on what you want your picture to suggest. If you want to show the power of the raging waters of a waterfall, you’ll do “freeze” (short exposure), if you want a calmer, smoother (almost surreal) image of a waterfall you’ll use the longer exposure. This reminds me of my first time photographing a beautiful waterfall in Kauai from a tripod. I wanted the water to be as smooth as possible and I was so concentrated on getting that right that I totally forgot I was standing on a slippery rock (thanks goodness not too high up). #TheWeeklyPostcard
That’s the beauty of any art like photography, what is best is all up to the artist and the view. Did you fall? and if so, I hope you didn’t get hurt.
Great tips! As a photographer, these all seem like common sense to me. But I’m sure they are not…in fact, I know they are not. A beginner photographer will find this article very helpful!
Not common sense, but basic understanding. Thanks, and I hope people do find it useful.
Going to Victoria Falls this fall, I should learn how to do this, but I don’t I have the patient or the skills 🙂
Ah, waterfalls are easy because they are right there in front of you. You don’t need patience like you do when waiting on an animal shot.
Stunning pictures, I will try your advises new time I am close to a waterfall! #TheWeeklyPostcard fan
I hope you get to a waterfall soon 🙂
Shared with my friend too – he’s a photographer and I’m positive he’ll find the article interesting and usefull too. From my perspective, great pics 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
Thanks for sharing Stefan, and for the compliment too.
Your photographs of waterfalls are really pretty. Great post to help those with less experience understand the choices for their camera settings, and how these translate to frozen motion or motion blur within the water. My personal preference is the slow shutter speed style but both have their place!
My preference is also the slow shutter speed, but I don’t always have a tripod.
We want to improve our waterfall taking skills…. but that would require actually seeing a waterfall for once haha It’s been a while! I guess we do too many city/town trips! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
LOL – you never know when you will turn a corner and there will be a beautiful waterfall cascading over the hill.
This is a really helpful post! I’m not a great photographer, and I’m certainly a newbie with things like moving water and night photography. Your photos are absolutely stunning!
Thanks Laura. I hope my tips make you a better photographer.
Fabulous ! Love waterfalls 💕
Thanks Karen
These are fabulous tips. I love waterfalls and hopefully will now be able to capture them better. I have been to the top one – Harura Falls a few years ago.
It’s probably the one we go to the most often on this page. There is a tiny waterfall in walking distance from our house, but even the best shot of it is not that flash.
Your photography is amazing. Mine is not. I don’t have a crafty bone in my body and I’m okay with that.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Thanks Sandee, I am happy to virtually take you around the world with us.
These are great tips! We love waterfalls and what a great collection of beautiful photos. My husband usually does the waterfalls shots but this post gives hope for me. Thank you!
LOL – there is hope for every photographer. Better photography is a learned skill, although some people, like my daughter, seem to have a naturally good eye for the shot.
I love waterfalls!! You have a great collection of them. I have visited many of them and I would love to visit Iguazu.
Iguazu is Sarah’s shot. I would love to visit there. If all goes well, we will be there late in the year.
Thanks for the tip – I never knew to use sports mode on a point-and-shoot. I’ve used the burst mode at a concert to get the performer in action but I’m going to try sports for the waterfalls. Fantastic photos!
I the settings on the point and shoot are given names for their most common uses, but they can all be used for different things once you understand what each does. Sports tries to freeze action, and that needs a fast shutter speed.
These pics are so utterly gorgeous! I have photo-ability-taking envy 🙂
Try out my tips, with a bit of practice you can take photos like this too.
Amazing the difference the shutter speed makes. Although that one shot, even with a fast shutter speed, has blurred water. Must’ve been flowing really fast.
I think water is one of the best ways to demonstrate the difference shutter speed makes.
Now I have to find a waterfall to try all this out on. I wish I had had this post before we went to Iguazu Falls.
I am hoping to get to Iguazu in a few months. Sarah loved it.
Thank You for these tips. Oh, I saw that You have been not visited Finland. Why not meet freely roaming reindeers in the nature on some of our Arctic Hills, maybe participating in the reindeer ride contest, which is open for everybody, making midsummer Cruise on some of our lake, visiting the Arctic Circle, visiting Samba Carnivals or spending a night inside the world’s biggest snow castle. There are so much to see and experience that You cannot imagine.
Happy and safe travels.
It’s true, we have not yet been to Finland. My mother has and loved it. Perhaps one day.
Great Tips! I have always wanted to take better waterfall photos. Thanks Rhonda.
I hope these tips help.
Fab photos Rhonda I love fast moving falls.
I like all waterfalls.
Stunning photos and great tips, thanks
Thanks Freya. I hope you get a chance to get out and give them a try.
Bet these are all much more impressive in person than in photos.
I think it is the sound of the rushing water that makes waterfalls increases how impressive waterfalls appear.
Great tips and photos. What an adventure!
Thanks Julie, we love chasing waterfalls.