Tips for Composing Creek and Waterfall Photos

I recommend reading my first article “Tips for Creek and Waterfall Photography” before reading this one.  It will give you a good foundation for what follows here.  

When it comes to learning composition I’m a big believer that the best teacher is experience. When I first started out in landscape photography I read a few articles on composition but then I just went out in Nature and practiced what I love to do, which is capturing beauty. The more photos you take the more skilled you will become at composition, as long as you are thoughtful about the process and take the time to think about what works and what doesn’t work in your photos. It’s an evolving process. You have to continually ask yourself the question  “Why does this photo not quite work as a whole?”  It’s a fun process, a bit like a treasure hunt, and when you find that perfect composition it’s one of the biggest thrills in photography.  

I also recommend going online and studying the creek and waterfall images of other photographers. If you really love a photo find out why you like it and reflect on why it’s an effective photograph.  You can learn a lot this way and it’s something I always do, especially if I’m looking to take photos of subjects that I’m not very familiar with.  

I was initially drawn to the series of cascades in the foreground here, but the photo works as a whole because of the way I arranged the yellow tree and rhododendron leaves to frame the entire scene.

So where do you start if you are trying to discover that great photograph?  First of all, find what initially grabs you about a scene (i.e. that gorgeous cascade, or that beautiful overhanging tree branch). There will always be something that initially inspires you to take a photo.  You want to be aware of what that something is and build around it.  Then take the time to see what other elements you can arrange around the main element to complement it. This is what separates a snapshot from a potentially great photo.  

That cascade or waterfall may be really pretty, but the majority of the time it will not make for an effective photograph unless it is part of a larger composition. The best photos are ones where all the elements work together in perfect harmony. It’s not always possible to find “perfect harmony” considering the limitations we may be dealing with in Nature, but our job is to get as close as we can to this ideal.  

Be aware that everything contained in the frame of a photograph is important.  Every detail and feature should serve the overall composition. That is the ideal goal to strive for, though it’s not always possible.  Sometimes the best you can do is minimize any distracting elements.  

A big part of effective composition is learning to remove those distracting elements that don’t serve the overall composition.  

Two main ways to do this are:  

1.  Fill the frame with your main subject (or subjects) by zooming in or moving closer to them (and be prepared to get your shoes or boots wet!).  Pay close attention to the borders of your composition to see if any distractions are popping up, you may need to zoom in further to remove them.  Always ask yourself, does that tree limb, rock, plant, pile of sticks, etc.. add something important to the photo or can I remove it without missing it? (Also, don’t hesitate to zoom out as well, in some cases you may find the larger background works and complements the subject).  

2.  Change your perspective.  This is the fun part where you can get creative.  You may want to try standing on a large rock, climb up the side of a bank, get down close to the surface of the water, approach the scene from multiple angles. You might be  surprised at how moving a little bit to the left or right can change a composition significantly and help to block out objects you don’t want in a scene.  

I was able to capture this unique view of Dry Falls by changing my perspective. I climbed down to the bottom of the gorge and found some beautiful converging compositional lines that I would have never seen otherwise.

When I’m in the field I often fall in love with a certain element in a composition (like a beautifully shaped overhanging tree branch), but I always take the time to get perspective on the larger scene to see if I can incorporate the element I love into a larger composition that works. Sometimes I can, and sometimes I can’t. If your goal is to capture the absolute best photos possible, then don’t waste precious time trying to force a composition that just doesn’t work. Doing this will cause you to miss out on other, better opportunities. This is a key to producing great photography. It takes experience to get good in this area, but the more you get out and shoot the more skilled you will become at filtering out what works and what doesn’t work compositionally, and it will greatly increase your success rate in the field.   

Here’s another important compositional tip:  When you reach a desired destination, don’t immediately get your camera out and start shooting (unless there is incredible light that is fading fast, etc..).  Take the time to soak up the surroundings and allow yourself to just “see.”   The simple fact is that you can’t take a great photo unless you see it first,  and having a camera in front of your face can actually hinder that seeing process.  I know it sounds counterintuitive but it’s true.   

When I reach a waterfall destination I first just allow myself to enjoy it and “see it.” I will visit every potential vantage point and compose photographs in my minds eye. If something “clicks” then I make a mental note to shoot from that exact spot. By the time I’m done I usually have at least 3 or 4 compositional possibilities checked off in my mind.  Then I get my camera out and visit each spot. When I am shooting I will refine the compositions even further, but having that starting point saves a lot of time.  

I rarely did this when I was new to photography. I often thought it was a waste of time.  I need to be shooting, right? Wrong. I need to be “seeing” first, then shooting.  I found that my success rate greatly increased when I did this exercise regularly, and it actually saved me time in the long run.  

Another thing I do regularly is I will just sit and notice what natural color and contrast looks like in Nature. What a novel idea!   

I realized one day that I was forgetting what the natural world actually looked like because I was so wrapped up in getting a certain look or style with my photos, (and comparing them to what I was seeing other people do online).  

I’m not saying I don’t make certain choices to increase contrast and saturation in my images that enhance what I am seeing in Nature (I often do), but it helps me to have a natural baseline from which to start. Otherwise it’s easy for me to get too “out there” with my editing choices and lose perspective.  

Here’s one last important tip that will help you improve your photos.  Before I revisit a waterfall I’ve been to before I take a quick look at my photos from any previous trips.  

I want to remind myself of what I was trying to accomplish compositionally with that particular waterfall in the past. So after each trip to a new location I always save a few of those “almost good photos.” The ones where I tried to make something work but it never quite came together.  

Before I revisit the waterfall I will take a quick look at those “almost photos.” I will carefully analyze the photos to see if I can improve on them.  When I do this I find that I often come back with a better composition the second time around.  In fact, my best waterfall photos are almost always taken after visiting a spot multiple times. This is because it takes time to really learn a location and figure out what works and doesn’t work.  

Here’s an example of a composition that I initially liked of Catawba Falls, but I felt like there was a better composition in there somewhere.

Here’s my second attempt at the same location. This time around I captured a stronger composition that works much better as a whole.

Be patient with yourself if you are just starting out, it will take time to develop your eye and compositional skills.  Always be thoughtful and purposeful with everything you do, as this will help you to improve faster. And above all, just go out and have fun!  It is one of the great Joys in life to discover beauty and partake of it.