I do not consider myself a nature photographer, but I can appreciate a good piece from Mother Nature when I see it! Even though I prefer shooting people, I could not resist taking pictures of the beautiful waterfalls at Rickett’s Glen in Pennsylvania. If you have ever wondered how to get that silky smooth texture in your moving streams and waterfall photos, I will tell you how.

Photography Equipment

• Polarizer and/or a neutral density filter
• Remote switch
• A tripod and mount accessory
• Protective gear for your camera body and equipment

The Hike

Make sure you have good walking shoes. To access a waterfall, you generally have to “take a hike.” I ended up wearing these groovy Coach rain boots that kept my feet dry and warm. I brought water shoes, but when I noticed the model in flip-flops, I did not have the heart to make her trek three miles downhill on the wet, slippery terrain. I like to torture the models that work for me in other ways…like making them stand around in a bikini on chilly days.

Bugs love feasting on delicious skin, so ward them off by coating your skin with bug spray. Do not forget water, tasty snacks, and an assistant that will carry everything for you. Just kidding!

…sort of.

Waterfall Photography

In order to create Zen-like images, keep the shutter speed in mind at all times. Try bracketing shots in Manual mode and aim for a shutter speed of 2 to 5 seconds. In the image above, I set the shutter speed to 1/5 of a second. Because of the available light, I wanted a tighter aperture, so I chose F18. A lower ISO (100-200) will minimize noise and grain, and overcast days provide the best time to shoot. In the image above, a little sun kept peeking through, making it vital to try different settings with the aperture.

In this Photoshop era, I have eliminated the need for warming or cooling filters, but I still insist on a polarizing filter because its effect cannot be duplicated in Photoshop. A polarizer will help reduce reflections in the streams, darken the skies, and make colors look super-lush. Similarly, a neutral density filter will help achieve the dreamy, velvety, silky look. The neutral density filter acts like a set of sunglasses that helps to darken a scene and keep the shutter open longer. In the images posted here, I only used a polarizer.

That’s it! You can get fancy and shoot in HDR or try different compositions to get beautiful abstract art like my friend, Nikolai, during our trek. Good luck, and send me links to your gorgeous creations.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Location: Rickett’s Glen – Pennsylvania
Gear: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM