Shoot Blurs: Smooth Waterfalls

While the rocks gently break the flow of water, the green moss and foliage add a lot of colour to the frame. Exposure: 15sec at f/16 (ISO 100). Photograph/Rahul Sud

Chandni Gajria tells you to go on a little adventure and photograph free flowing blurs of waterfalls using long exposures.

Capturing smooth-looking waterfalls is not all that hard. You need to work with long exposures which means heading out with a tripod. It is also better to shoot on a cloudy day or on a overcast rainy day rather than on a sunny day.

The Technique
Opt for a shutterspeed between 2sec to 1/10sec. Remember that to keep excess light from entering the camera, you will have to use a Neutral Density filter. Also,you will probably need a day just to finalise a suitable spot.

Quick Tip
Carry extra battery packs and memory cards. Most blur techniques drain a lot of battery. You will be lucky to get a shot in the first attempt

This article originally appeared in the November 2012 issue of Better Photography.