PHOTO TIP: Waterfalls Part 1 – Equipment

The basic equipment needed for waterfall photography include: camera, tripod, wide-angle lens, telephoto lens (or some combination of wide-angle to telephoto zoom — I use an 18-200mm), neutral density filter and a polarizing filter. We’ll go over each piece of equipment before diving into the creative process.

Camera: Any digital camera can be used for waterfall photography, however, a Single Lens Reflex (SLR or DSLR) is best for the most control and abilities. Compact or non-SLR cameras do not have the full range of aperture settings that SLR cameras have so there will be some limitations. However, don’t let this deter you from learning the techniques in this series as they will help you with all of your photographic efforts.

Tripod: Using low shutter speeds requires a stable platform. A good tripod does not need to be expensive, but expect to pay around $100+ for one that will be good enough for long exposures without being affected by a breeze. If your camera came with or will allow you to use a remote (wired or wireless), definitely do so! The less you touch the camera the better your images will be. If you don’t have a remote, use the self timer on the camera to make it hands-free.

Lenses: Most people believe a wide-angle lens is required for “scenics and landscapes” but a telephoto lens will allow you to choose a portion of the scene for a different impact. In this series we will show you the same scene made with different lenses to offer different views and effects.

Polarizing Filter: This filter helps reduce or removes unwanted glare and reflections. (Click on the Polarizing Filter label below to see previous posts on this subject for more details.)

Neutral Density Filter: A neutral density filter will reduce the light coming through the lens allowing even slower shutter speeds to be possible. For those using a compact or non-SLR camera, this will be a necessity as these cameras have limited aperture settings.

So there is your basic list of equipment. In Part 2, we will begin discussing specific techniques used for creating great images of waterfalls. For hands on instruction, think about joining our May 15-17, 2009 Waterfall Photography Workshop.