Photographing waterfalls with landscape photographer Sarah Howard of Image Seen

[@Luigi13]

The finished image you show after all the setup looks very clean and punchy, great work Sarah. Thank you for the video.

[@imageseen]

Many thanks Gino :-)

[@jody1622]

Sarah I'm going out to photograph the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, USA tomorrow and I wanted to brush up. Your mini lesson was just right! Thank you.

[@SaltyRice808]

im moving to kauai island this month so im gonna be doing a lot landscape photography and cant wait to learn everything. will 35mm f1.8 be good as a learning lens with 70-300 tamron also? thanks you

[@shmooveyea]

So how do you fix those slightly over exposed areas? Would you suggest taking a white balance reading from a specific area? or spot meter the brightest part?

[@MrTanker10a]

Great tutorial! Her accent is driving me off the chart... Lovely Ladies with UK accents? Dammmm! That's lethal. Cheers!

[@jeffallinson8089]

Fab tutorial, I am out doing some waterfall photography tomorrow and will take this great advice on board, thanks!!

[@imageseen]

Thanks Jeff - I hope it helps. Have fun with your waterfall photography tomorrow!

[@jeffallinson8089]

Cheers Sarah, it was indeed a lot of fun, The photo was ok, but the conditions were not ideal. It was too sunny and the light was brightest right at the top of the waterfall so the highlights were blown out a bit. I should have gone at dusk!! Lesson learned x

[@IntotheWildFilms]

Hi Sarah, I'm actually a landscape videographer but found the tips your video very useful. Would love to see more of these. Cheers

[@BobCooper62]

Very informative tutorial. What strength ND did you use?

[@imageseen]

Glad you like the video. Yes avoiding people is always difficult here. We filmed during the week which helped, and it was early afternoon in early September.

[@ELPistoffo]

Thanks for the video Sarah. Did you combine the bracketed images in post or just choose one and touch it up accordingly?

[@imageseen]

Most images were just one shot, however the distant shot of the falls where I shot the video, was bracketed and the three images combined.

[@gozmoszone]

Very helpful video thank you.. You must be a good teacher because I have taken in everything you have covered in this vid. Tomorrow will be my first time shooting a waterfall with a DSLR. Thanks to you I will now be most ready for the challenge. Love your accent btw.

[@imageseen]

Glad you found it useful. Hope the waterfall shoot went well!!

[@bhockey25]

Nicely explained on which camera settings you used - were all your shots composed at the same values and levels? Possibly in future videos when showing your results you can post the camera applicable settings along with the attached photo's thereby giving the viewer further insight into your decision making along with the nice compositions. I find it helpful when seeing how the photographer composed their picture and seeing what settings they used to get there.

[@mzeeshan]

HI Sara, Thanks for the great tutorial of my favorite place. I am surprised to see that you managed to capture this water fall without any tourists and people distraction at the scene. So my Question to you is what is best time of the year and of the day to capture these water falls and also to avoid people in the scene completely .. as you did.. ? Thanks.

[@vonteddunageswararao3201]

Beautiful waterfalls capture

[@Nat.ImagesLarge.F.Photographer]

Really nice work,superb shots, beautiful place and atmosphere!

[@imageseen]

+Nat Images Thanks very much, glad you liked it.

[@MikeGilroyAK]

Thanks for the video! I wish you would have shown the filter set up. Anchorage, Alaska

[@smartodd]

Thank You Sarah - I just got my D7100, and this helped my understand several things better.

[@imageseen]

Glad it helped. The D7100 is a great camera - I hope you enjoy it.

[@dragon34672]

I am just starting to learn photography this vid is a great help ty

[@Rusty1995_]

are you wearing any external mic?

[@imageseen]

Glad you found it helpful Willem. It's a stunning spot. I am there again this year in May - come and join us!

[@konstantingeorgiadis5182]

Outstanding video (and the location is wonderful also)

[@imageseen]

Thank you - glad you enjoyed the video. It is an absolutely beautiful area.

[@imageseen]

Hi Bill, glad you found the video useful. No I didn't use the same settings on all the shots. You raise a good point and thats something I will bear in mind in future videos, thanks.

[@kenwilliams3208]

Hi Sarah, thanks so much for your very helpful hints and instruction. One question, the square polarizer you used - is that made by Lee?

[@imageseen]

Hi Ken, Many thanks. Yes it is a Lee filter.

[@ericgeorge5483]

Wonderful Tutorial Sarah, hugely informative, and great to see those fantastic photos at the end. Thanks.

[@imageseen]

+Eric George thanks very much.

[@ericgeorge5483]

Sarah Howard Credit where its due I say. Folks like me can learn an awful lot from you.

[@guitarjeepdude]

Sarah, what kind of filters were those that you used? Also what's the brand?

[@davidcollins4227]

I still use my D700 , love it. Great video, I’ve subscribed 👍

[@imageseen]

Thanks David. Yes it's a great camera. I have a D810 now which I love.

[@davidcollins4227]

@@imageseen what’s a D10?

[@davidcollins4227]

@@imageseen I really like you videos , you should do more . The tower you went to , I have been there to “Broadway tower I think” . I’ve also been to the same spot at Brecon Beacons and did a similar shot of the falls . D810 , be to expensive for me , I purchased a new D610 which I also love, great cameras . Would love to see more videos from you , very good and interesting. 👍

[@patrickmcmullen1190]

Nice explaination Sarah....beautiful place too.

[@imageseen]

Thank you. Yes it is, especially in Autumn and early Summer.

[@imageseen]

Hi Brian, I use Lee filters. I used a polariser in this video but for waterfalls you might also use a neutral density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens and control the movement of water.

[@scotie690]

Thank Sarah. You've mad a very informative video. It's always important to follow this kind of rules. I would like to see the final shots.

[@christopherdoherty4124]

i have been tryin to do some long expos on a couple of small waterfalls and have put it into bulb mode with the cable remote did some for a couple of seconds they was on but any over 10 seconds blowing out i do use a nd filter or a cpl can u give me some tips

[@xnavid]

a cool way to do it without that is to take multiple shorter exposure shots and then blend them in post processing. you can achieve the same result without a filter

[@christopherdoherty4124]

cheers for the answer but i dont like to use photoshop or light room

[@imageseen]

I suggest you use a ND filter - try a 3 stop for starters but you may not need one at all unless you are shooting in bright sunlight ( which I'd avoid for waterfalls - a dull day is best). Also there is no need to put the camera on bulb, depending on how fast the water is flowing, just a few seconds will be find to record motion. A polariser is an alternative to the ND but you can use both together if you are not getting enough movement with just a polariser.

[@christopherdoherty4124]

the movement is fine its just the sides of the photos which are blowing out i shoot in jpeg trying to get smoot water like ice like over a min or so

[@joelborden3242]

Thank you for sharing. I found your discussion as well composed as your photograph. Very informative.

[@vicphotozandvideo]

wish we had waterfalls here in San Diego nice video :)

[@mandurahchess]

After trying various ways to set exposure I have settled on using exposure simulation. I set the camera to Manual. I compose in Live View. I am not concerned about the brightness of the screen, I aim to preserve details in the darkest areas. If I get blinkies, I reduce exposure and shoot again. Usually I find one of the exposures satisfactory, but I have the option of merging images later.

[@shadeofthetrees]

Lovely and helpful tutorial. Thank you for posting this.

[@cosmic_gate476]

Please upload more content, you clearly have the talent! :)

[@wallypeffercorn]

how did you slide your filter in so quickly?? what do you use?? cuz all my filters are "screw on"

[@imageseen]

Hi Wally, I use the Lee filter system which has a filter holder into which you slide the filters.

[@daniel_brqlo]

Any specific technique to mantain the scale of the waterfall in the photograph? Usually when I shoot big waterfalls, you can't really tell how big they are by looking at the photo... I thought about adding people to give some perspective, but they're not always available and can take away from the focus of the photo.

[@imageseen]

That is a tricky one, adding people/animals is ideal as you said, otherwise, just trying to ensure that you have something in the foreground such as a boulder, tree stump, any ferns or wild flowers etc works well too.

[@MyMrjag]

thats a beautiful area i dont live too far from there but i am a wheelchair user any suggestions of more suitable spots for a photographer hobbist or otherwise in my situation

[@briandavies8571]

Would love to have a day workshop concentrating on long exposure shots and to properly use my collection of Lee filters including little big and supper stoppers

[@imageseen]

Brian, I am not sure how I managed to miss your comment - i'm so sorry! If you are interested in a one day workshop, we offer one just on long exposure using the Lee filters, on the north somerset coast, taking in Weston Super Mare, Burnham on Sea and also Clevedon pier. You can find all the details here - www.imageseen.co.uk/long-exposures-north-somerset

[@rushikeshpuranik6462]

Which camera she is using in this video?

[@imageseen]

+Rushikesh Puranik D 700

[@mandurahchess]

Thank you Miss Howard. Part of my enjoyment of Ashes cricket in England stems from the diversity of Pommie accents. Yours sounds fine to my ears.

[@aspaces8014]

Awesome vids, you make my day. Carry on creating video, need more like you.

[@imageseen]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful.

[@raytheron]

I really enjoyed your video, Sarah! What a pity I am too far away to be able to attend one of your workshops! (Love your accent, btw!)

[@Wasadtiah]

Hi, Sorry, what kind of lense do you use?

[@MegaFerret12]

Syed Mohd Idrus PEng. CEng. that's what I wanted to no, great video thanks for sharing...

[@Pianopod]

Why did you choose ISO 200? why not 100?

[@Intiom]

Some cameras, even professional models, have a native ISO of 200. You can take ISO 100 shots with them, but the RAWs have more latitude with native ISO.

[@jaybrown4526]

I personally find that 100 isos produce shots that are too soft for my liking. 100 may be necessary in some cases in order to get the slower shutter speed, but theres other ways to do that. I even go up to 320 or 400 if I can, which produce very sharp images regardless. noise is still minimal and with a filter you can still get plenty long shutter speeds as if you were using 100.

[@RichardsWorld]

@@jaybrown4526 Ummmm...... lower ISO is always sharper. I'm not sure what you are thinking.

[@jaybrown4526]

@@RichardsWorld - Lower iso is not "ALWAYS SHARPER", as you so brazenly declare. It may be more free from noise as opposed to 3200, but its not "sharper" in my opinion.

[@jxmai7687]

@@RichardsWorld If in the old day use film, lower ISO sure is sharper, in the dark room under the enlarger we can easily see the different, today with digital raw file we see noise but less sharp problem, but i still go with the way your thinking.

[@KevJC79]

very thorough really enjoyed that.

[@imageseen]

+Kevin Crivelli thanks Kevin, glad you found it helpful.

[@markbarnes549]

Hi Sarah Great video. I'm new to all this,..just purchased a D3200. I'm curious,....at the start of the demonstration you said to use aperture priority for landscapes,...then towards the end you needed to adjust the ISO. Were you still in aperture priority, because my understanding is that the camera selects the settings for you depending on which priority (mode) you're in. I'm a little confused...as usual. Furthermore, If I ever find myself hiking around spots like the one in this video, it would just kill me to be there without my fishing pole,...I don't know how you do it! Cheers!

[@imageseen]

Hi Mark, I almost always use Aperture Priority for landscape work, as depth of field is critical, however if shooting waterfalls you do need to keep an eye on what the shutter speed is doing in order to get the effect you want. If you are in Aperture Priority, the camera will select the appropriate shutter speed for you, changing the ISO is not going to affect the aperture priority but if will alter the shutter speed. Hope that makes sense! Sarah

[@markbarnes549]

Sarah Howard Sarah, I understand now. I thought that ISO couldn't be adjusted while in Aperture Priority. Little by little, it's all starting to make sense. Now my goal is to make sense of the focal points and area focus modes etc., when I'm in different shooting modes..then I'll be in the beginners' driver seat. Thanks

[@mimuslegoworld2301]

great Video and info. thanks!!!

[@imageseen]

Thanks Mahesh.

[@mimuslegoworld2301]

:)

[@SimplePhotoSchool]

Great video. Thanks for sharing Sarah.

[@kazhilly]

Great tutorial, well explained. Thanks!!

[@jibrilqarni]

did you, use ND filter ?

[@imageseen]

Sorry for late reply! Yes a 3 stop in some cases, but often a polariser was enough as the falls are in a woodland environment and therefore its pretty dark anyway.

[@nikonusa123]

Beautiful work thank you.

[@chaosncheckt9356]

Great video. Been experimenting with my Canon t5i and this was very helpful. I think my next investment will need to be on a set of nice lens filters.

[@imageseen]

Thank you! Lee are the best I have found.

[@apdeshpande]

very informative and detailed ... thank you

[@Willem734]

Nice location! Thanks for the explanation Sarah ;)

[@14jrlion]

she has such an adorable voice

[@jimcole1780]

I like you work, and tech talk.

[@markboweringphotography4408]

Just came across this video. Great tutorial.

[@Dmann1211]

Great video!

[@toomuchbbq]

Great tips! Thanks.

[@RazibShahrier]

With my like now you have 1K likes. Thanks for the tips. Cheers!

[@imageseen]

Thanks Axel!

[@Thenature5020]

Beautiful

[@imageseen]

Thank you! It's a very old video but all the techniques still apply.

[@AthrunWilshire]

I feel like I've seen these images in a magazine before.... :S Good tutorial.

[@imageseen]

Thanks Michael.

[@mick8586]

very enjoyable and informative

[@imageseen]

Thanks Mick

[@imageseen]

Thanks Amit. You will find me on Facebook at Image Seen Photography Workshops

[@cillyede]

Very nice video. Hubert - Germany

[@imageseen]

Thanks Hubert

[@imageseen]

Thanks for your message - glad it was helpful.

[@Guayabero1977]

You'd need something wider such as Tamron 17-50 mm for example.

[@imadesuryadi8753]

Thank's Sarah good tutorial

[@Snowcatnz2]

Surely full manual is more appropriate for landscape so you have full control over everything, did I miss something but I'm sure it said 1/6 of a second before she put the ND filter in. Nice image at the end though.

[@imageseen]

Fully manual or aperture priority would be fine as it's the depth of field that is most important in landscape photography. If its necessary to adjust the exposure in Aperture Priority this is easily done using exposure compensation so it really doesn't matter which mode is used - whatever is easiest for the photographer. The end result is the same.

[@realgalaxy87]

thank you Sarah , you help me a lot Abdulaziz from Kuwait :)

[@berto1999]

Perfect results!

[@ngwinghung]

thanks for the video :)

[@SuperKit1991]

'...priority, which is what you would do for most landscape photography.'

[@blagovestzaimov3455]

there is a way to accomplish the same result without slow shutterspeed and ND filter. Just make several right exposed shots and than merge them in photoshop.

[@imageseen]

+Blagovest Zaimov - yes good point, however to control the movement of water in such a way as to show motion you need an nd filter to slow down the shutter speed and create a long exposure. I think it depends on how you want to achieve the end result; in-camera, or on a computer. For me, getting it right at the time is so much more satisfying.

[@ThHaukur]

Thank you 😊

[@ALTalkshow442]

Very interesting

[@wildernessandme]

Lovely accent Sarah! :)

[@yujinlandscapephotography.7787]

Thank! Sarah...,

[@martinbenford3442]

Awesome

[@imageseen]

Pleasure

[@victor27601]

Bad audio.Low..

[@tommylfc98]

Her accent!!

[@laurensiemens1436]

I hate thirds

[@1911geek]

Except your flow of water leads out of the frame. Rule of third is well and dandy but that 1st composition is not imorrssive

[@KZHX]

Her voice is a little annoying

[@brendavawter]

so is your comment

[@brendavawter]

you have one?

[@KZHX]

Good one.

[@roycefaggotter6860]

LOL what's your voice like, lets hear it.

[@roycefaggotter6860]

and that makes you a dropkick

[@stevecain1956]

You make photographs Sarah, not take them.

[@imageseen]

Yes I'm always telling my clients that. As the great Ansel Adams himself said.