It is often said “A strong man and a waterfall channel their own path”. Waterfalls are among the most exquisite and beautiful wonders of nature. From an abundance of waterfalls in Iceland to the little stream in your own backyard, finding a waterfall to photograph is not usually the hard part. Below we have gathered what we think are great examples of waterfall photography using a variety of methods to capture them.
Long Exposure
Keeping your shutter open for a bit longer can yield amazing results with your waterfall pictures. The flow of water, the pool below the waterfall, and the splashes off the rock can turn into smooth looking images that makes for an interesting composition. Switch your settings to manual mode and test out different shutter speeds and f-stops to get the results you are looking for.
Zach Dischner – Falling Water
Luke Detwiler – Dry Creek Color
Nicolas Raymond – Chutes du Diable Waterfall
Ian Sane – Upper Butte Creek Falls
Phil Dolby – Forever Autumn
Nicolas Raymond – Rustic Rock Run Falls
José Antonio Cartelle – Green and water
Ian Sane – White Branch Falls
MattysFlicks – Elbow Falls
Winter
The season of snow and ice can freeze a waterfall and make it a very interesting image to pursue. Even if it doesn’t get cold enough to create a flowing block of ice off a cliff, the presence of snow and ice around the water flow is definitely something to consider adding to your shot list when creating pictures during the winter season.
William Doyle – Deer Leap Falls
William Doyle – Childs State Forest
William Doyle – Fulmer Falls
Davide Gabino – Frozen Cascade
Davide Gabino – Frozen
David Phan – Let it flow (Iceland)
Essential Photos – Spring thaw
Andrés Nieto Porras – Miniaturas
Rainbow
The mist coming off a waterfall and the sunlight hitting it just right is the perfect combination for capturing a rainbow in your photo. You might have more luck catching one at much larger falls that receives a lot of sun exposure, but finding that perfect composition with the colors of the rainbow is possible with any spray of water and sunshine.
Rick McCharles – Double Rainbow Iceland
Yellowstone National Park – Double rainbow at the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River
Christian Gloor – Rainbow falls
Kate Elizabeth – Waterfall in Iceland
Murray Foubister – Niagra Falls
Black and White
The contrasting colors of water flow create an ideal black and white photo. If this is a style you prefer, you’ll enjoy creating waterfall images.
Fernando Garcia – Earth's Hair
AirHaake – Silent Thunder
Dani Vázquez – Fervenza do Toxa
Holly Victoria Norval – Flow
Mick C – Hareshaw Linn Low Falls
Waterfall Picture Inspiration
Here is selection of beautiful waterfall pictures selected from our Flickr group.
Serge Skiba – Dry Falls, Highlands, North Carolina
Jeff Oates – Multnomah Falls
Greg David – Autumn falls at Edwards Gardens
{Flixelpix} David – Crumlin
Joao Santos – Anços waterfall, in Sintra, Portugal
swapnil deshpande – contemplations
Bailiwick Studios – Waterfall
Ben – Hardraw Force
elliot keeney – small waterfall at bottom of lesmuride falls
Aventuphoto – EL PEÑON
