Waterfalls are the subject of an interesting photo and very popular among photographers scenery / landscape. Shooting waterfalls require a specific technique:
Manual camera settings
To obtain a smooth waterfall picture, we need a slow shutter speed, approximately 1/4 seconds to 2 seconds. The longer we open the shutter, the smoother the waterfall.
Opening / aperture used is actually quite small, eg f/11 or f/16. With such a small opening, the whole scene would look sharp. Avoid a too small aperture like f/22 or f/32 because the image quality is reduced due to the diffraction lens.
For the ISO, you should use the lowest ISO, eg ISO 100 (most of Canon DSLR cameras) or 200 (Nikon DSLR cameras) in order to obtain optimal image quality.
Lens
For lenses, I propose to use a wide lens, because it gives the impression of depth or three dimensions. Dimensions will be more visible when we are vertical composition by incorporating environmental elements such as rocks around the waterfall.
Filter
When the photo in the summer and bright, often a combination of aperture, shutter speed and ISO as suggested above still produce images that are too bright. If that happens, we can use the so-called Neutral Density filter. This filter will absorb more light so that the exposure / exposure of your photos to fit. Neutral Density filters have a one-stop skimming to 10 stop light. I suggest using a minimum of 3 stop Neutral Density filters also called ND8.
Other filters that can help the Circular Polarizer. This filter serves to reduce the reflection of light so the picture becomes better. The blue sky and the blue light reflections in the water or the rocks around the waterfall will be lost or diminished. These filters also absorb light by about 2 stops of light so that helps us get the aperture setting, shutter speed, ISO required. CPL filter is one of the mandatory filter to the hobby of landscape photography. How to use CPL filter is put in front of the lens and then rotate the filter to get the desired effect (when the reflection of light is lost / reduced).
Tripod
Tripod is a mandatory tool for landscape photography, not least to photograph a waterfall. Tripod to make sure our pictures do not blur because of slow shutter speed. Many types of tripod on the market, in general, robust and lightweight tripod that is best for landscape photography or the streets.
Focus
Proper focus for landscape photos are also important, but fortunately we usually use a small aperture setting so that the sharp part of a wider picture. We can choose to focus on the waterfall or in addition to rocks. Focus depends on your taste, what part do we want to highlight or seen the sharpest in the photograph.
Composition
Composition of the photograph waterfalls there are essentially two, namely the horizontal and vertical compositions. Horizontal composition made waterfall scenery became more calm and stable, while the vertical composition gives the impression of a dynamic and fast. Do not forget to include a waterfall environment such as rocks, trees, leaves, or people who swim or play water in the waterfall.
