5 Tips For Photographing Moving Water

All of us have seen those amazing silky cotton candy seaside scenes or milky white waterfalls falling down a rock face. They all look so professional and difficult to shoot. Now, equipment may play a small part, but it’s actually simple to shoot moving water. The key is finding the right water to shoot and mastering your technique.

“White Clouds on a Waterfall” captured by Mitch Johanson (Click image to see more from Johanson)

There is a problem, in that these scenes can be difficult to photograph well, because a few factors need to be in place. But, once you have them right, you are on your way to great images. This is a great challenge as you learn digital photography. So what needs to happen? Let’s take a look at some basic steps to getting it right.

The basic foundation for successful flowing water images, especially waterfalls, is choosing the right location for the shot. Waterfalls are notoriously difficult to access, because most times they are found in rugged terrain. Be careful when choosing your location. It’s much better to approach a waterfall from below than from above; look for a route down near the water. By watching the light, you may find there is a perfect time for shooting.

“The Mists of Tea Tree Creek” captured by Jim Worrall (Click image to see more from Worrall)

Horizontal and vertical formats, also known as landscape and portrait, can both work well for seaside water shots. But, for waterfalls, most times it’s best to use vertical or portrait, because on most occasions there is more height than breadth to the image.

“Waterfall” captured by Ian (Click image to see more from Ian)

But be prepared to experiment with both orientations, as you never know which might result in a classic shot.

To create the milky white or silky smooth water shot, you need to choose the right shutter speed carefully. The variance between 1/30 and 1/15 of a second could be the difference between a great shot and just a good shot. Here, a problem you’ll experience is too much light, which won’t allow you to use a slow enough shutter speed. It may necessitate using a ND gradient or a polarizing filter to reduce the light a little. You’ll need to experiment a to get the right speed for the scene and lighting conditions.

A tripod is essential for water shots, as you may need extended exposure times. This is due mainly to using a small aperture to get maximum depth of field to maintain sharpness throughout the image. Coupled with this is a remote or cabled shutter release to reduce camera shake or vibration.

By this, I mean change your viewpoint, angle, and distance from the waterfall. How much of the waterfall do you want to include versus other features that are near to the water (e.g. moss covered rocks, trees, and other landscape features)? How close you can get to the water due to dangerous obstacles or water spray is another factor you’ll have to contend with. Once you have the composition you are happy with, be prepared to refine it by zooming in or out slightly. A slight variation may improve an image dramatically.

“Looking for Bright Future” captured by Mohamed Rafi (Click image to see more from Rafi)

Water photography is fun, but it’s also challenging. Be prepared to practice and experiment with locations until you find one that has just the right conditions. Seaside water is far easier to shoot, but you’ll still get some amazing photos. Happy shooting!

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