I love photographing waterfalls.

What I love about waterfalls is the constant motion. Constant change.

No two images of a waterfall are ever exactly the same. This goes double for waterfall images in the fall. I love to find a waterfall where there are leaves in the water. The leaves in motion add another irreplaceable element to an image.

Leaves flowing down stream create interesting streaks in the water. They are there and then they are gone. One in a lifetime.

Then there are waterfalls that have a pool at the bottom with some leaves bobbing around in it. The motion of the water swirling the leaves creates this swirling streaky impression in the image. It is never the same again.

Swirling leaves in waterfall

The image above is a good representation of the ideal scenario for this kind of fall leaf and waterfall combination I love. Water in motion. Then the leaves starting to move. The leaves are moving faster near the outer edge of the cluster of leaves. This creates more streaks. Then as you look closer and closer to the center of the leaves the motion is slower and slower. The leaves are less streaky and just a slight blur.

The one thing that could have made this image better would have been if I had a Neutral Density filter with me to block out more light. Blocking out more light would have allowed me to have a longer exposure. The longer exposure would have allowed for more time for the leaves to swirl around. Then I would have had the really streaky swirling effect of the leaves I strive for.

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