There are probably more ways to compose a waterfall shot than there are brands of cameras on the market. In this photo I used slow shutter speed. It gives the water the appearance of a mist and does not freeze the motion. It also allowed me to capture the surrounding terrain; the ferns and brush to the left and rocks on the right with relatively clear detail.
Had I decided to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the water, I would have had to use a more wide-open aperture. This would have resulted in a more narrow depth of field (DOF) and loss of detail in the surrounding scenery. The photo is Hiji Waterfalls in Okinawa, Japan. At 28 meters, it is the tallest waterfall on the island.
Picture taken with a Pentax K10D and Pentax 18-250 lens@18mm f/22 aperture and 1 second shutter speed. Stay tuned and I'll give a another example; how to freeze the action of water flowing for a totally different result. Until then Happy Shooting!
A wildlife photographer livning in Okinawa, Japan, Mike has been featured in Matador Abroad and is published in Apogee Photo Magazine, Boots N all, The Nihon Sun and Photo Guide Japan. He has recently joined the ranks of travel writers, capturing Nature, Festivals, Castles and Cultural shots of the Ryukyu Islands to share with the world.
