Camera Tripods
Essential Gear for Waterfall Pics

"Camera tripods?  Come on, do I really need one?  I mean, really, hardly anyone uses them."

Good question.  And you're right.  It is relatively rare to see camera tripods being used, especially on a waterfall hike.

Let me ask you a question.

Do you want to be "anyone", the average picture taker with the average waterfall pictures?  Well, you're reading this so I think the answer is a resounding

For great waterfall pictures, camera tripods are essential.  Not handy, not "good to have", not optional, but essential.   Here's why.

What shutter speeds can be used before a tripod is needed? 

The rule of thumb is that you can hand hold down to 1/(focal length).  For example, if you are using a zoom lens at 50 mm focal length, you can use a shutter speed of 1/50th of a second or higher.

Naturally, you can extend that range by propping your camera on something, bracing yourself, or by using image stabilization if available on your lens or camera.  But the bottom line is that you will need a camera tripod in most situations.

How slow should the shutter speed be for that silky-smooth look?

It varies with each waterfall, mostly on the flow of water.  And it's also a matter of personal preference.  In general, smaller waterfalls with low flow will look best with very long shutter speeds, say around 1 sec. or longer, while very large waterfalls look best when the water is "frozen" in motion with a very short shutter speed of 1/250th sec. or thereabouts.

For example, the picture in the website logo had a shutter speed of 0.8 seconds.

The picture to the right as seen on the home page had a shutter speed of 4.5 seconds.

Also keep in mind that any trees or other foliage in the picture will also blur with longer shutter speeds if it is windy.

Here is a recent case study.  This is a series of photos I took of Elk Falls, also known as Big Falls, along the TN/NC border.  The only difference in the pictures is the shutter speed.  (ok, I changed the film speed setting up to ISO-400 to get a faster shutter speed at the high end).  These aren't great photos but they do illustrate the benefits of camera tripods in waterfall photography and you can clearly see the impact of the various shutter speeds.

1/125 sec	1/60 sec
1/30 sec	1/15 sec
1/8 sec	1/4 sec
1/2 sec	1 sec

Another example of a "low flow" waterfall will be posted soon.

I can already hear your next question.

What kind of tripod do I need?

The answer is simple.  Buy the best tripod you can afford.

I recently upgraded to a carbon fiber tripod with a magnesium 3-way head, the Hakuba HG-504MX.  Let me just say, I love this tripod.  For me it was a great compromise between price and features, although I didn't have to give up much on the features.

Other Tripod Benefits

Using a tripod forces you to slow down.  This is good.  In fact you need to take your time.  Compose the picture, don't just snap it.  Look for the right composition.  Try different zoom levels.  Switch from landscape to portrait.  Bracket the shutter speeds.  Apply the Rule of Thirds if appropriate.  The tripod helps you focus on getting the right composition.

Camera tripods are also helpful when you have a lot of contrast in the picture.  And waterfall pictures are notorious for this.  The water is typically bright while the rocks and/or foliage is dark.  With a tripod you can take two pictures with the exact same composition.  For one picture you expose properly for the light areas and for the second you expose properly for the dark areas.  You can then overlay these photos using software like Photoshop and obtain an evenly exposed waterfall photo.  A tutorial on this process is on the way.

Bottom Line?  Get a tripod.