I just took my first trip to the Smoky Mountains a few weeks ago and I have to say, I was impressed! The nature was unbelievable: the colors, the wildlife, the streams! It was hard to take it all in and I hope my camera did a better job than my eyes.

I’m very new to photography and this was my first chance at photographing waterfalls. The first day of the trip, I thought I would play it safe, relax, and shoot in auto mode. Boy, was that a mistake for waterfalls! I froze them in time!

The four pictures were all taken at different shutter speeds, but before I explain more choose which picture you like the best.

Waterfall at fast shutter speed - Shutter Speed .008 s Aperture f 4.5 ISO 900

Waterfall at slightly fast shutter speed - Shutter Speed .02 s Aperture f 5.6 ISO 640

Waterfall at slow shutter speed - Shutter Speed .0667 s Aperture f 10 ISO 640

Waterfall at slowest shutter speed - Shutter Speed .125 s Aperture f 14 ISO 640

Frozen or Milky Waterfalls?

Which waterfall picture appealed most to you? My favorites are the second and third picture. The shutter speed decreases in pictures from one to four. The first picture with the fastest shutter speed freezes the waterfall and this is the typical result you’ll get if you shoot waterfalls in auto mode. The last picture has the slowest shutter speed and gives it the most mystical feel.

Basically, the only thing you need to know is the slower shutter speed, the more mystical and milky the moving water will be. Some people prefer super mystical and milky waterfalls, and others like the more realistic frozen falls. I like a bit of both.

Using too fast a shutter speed will give you an all too frozen waterfall, and using too slow a shutter speed will give you and all too milky waterfall. To avoid either scenario you should bracket your pictures. Bracketing is when you take several pictures each at different shutter speeds. To find a good shutter speed to start at, shoot the waterfall in auto mode (no flash) and decrease the shutter speed from there.