Water Fall

[Rshuler]

Im not sure, but something seems to be keeping the same wow effect I had at the location. Any hints on how to improve the shot next time would be great..




Camera Olympus C740UZ
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 6.5 mm
ISO Speed 200

This was a camera that I still own but I have also bought a Nikon D50 with a 55-200 zoom lens.
Thanks for any help, Rob

[dcclark]

It looks like a great location, and one that I'd like to explore.

The first thing I notice is that there's no real sense of scale. The trees help a little, but they aren't really in the frame (and even if they were, I'm not sure it would help). Having a person in the frame (perhaps on the rocks in the foreground, looking up) could add in that scale, which would really show the size of the waterfall. That's one option, there are many others of course.

Technically, f/2.8 is probably not the greatest choice. You'll get a larger depth of field (i.e. more of the scene in focus) at a smaller aperture, say f/8. I don't know how much the C740UZ lets you control this (and the depth of field is pretty decent to begin with), but it's something to think about.

Finally, you might have fun playing around with longer shutter speeds. That could "smooth" the water out, which is a common effect. It's not always the best choice, but it DOES look neat -- you could give it a try for a different effect.

[Rshuler]

Thanks for the critique. Scale never entered my mind but I understand what your saying.. If I could have moved in to another location I probably could have gotten more of the fall. This is only a small portion of the falls, and probably could have helped out more on the scale issue..
The name of these falls are CrabTree Falls in Virginia.. A quick web search could give you more info and direction to the location...
Thanks again, all help is appreciated

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi Rshuler,

This is a great subject and I think that you did a great job with the composition.

For me, waterfalls are all about a slow shutter speed. 1/100 at f2.8 with an ISO of 200 is just too fast. I would have set the ISO to 100, pegged the aperture and f/22 which, if my calculations are correct, that should give you a shutter speed at something about half of a second. That would make the water nice a silky and that would be a great shot.

Hope that helps.

KG

[Rshuler]

Originally Posted by KansaiGreenie

Hi Rshuler,

This is a great subject and I think that you did a great job with the composition.

For me, waterfalls are all about a slow shutter speed. 1/100 at f2.8 with an ISO of 200 is just too fast. I would have set the ISO to 100, pegged the aperture and f/22 which, if my calculations are correct, that should give you a shutter speed at something about half of a second. That would make the water nice a silky and that would be a great shot.

Hope that helps.

KG

Thank you for the suggestions and examples of settings.. I am very new to photography and still learning basics.. I have read information about the taking pictures of waterfalls but never had suggestions made about any pictures of mine. thank you for the tips