70+ Moving Waterside Photographs

Whenever I decide to take a day and visit the countryside, I am drawn to water, whether it be the vast coastline, a breathtaking waterfall, a running stream or a peaceful lake, there is something about the natural expanse and experience of water that calms and reassures me. However, it’s not always possible to get to my chosen locations, so here’s a go at option two, a stunning collection of images aimed to excite and inspire your own waterside photography.

First up, find yourself a suitable location for your shoot. Wherever you are in the world, it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate a coastline or lake that will make for an ideal location. Pick your time of year and time of day carefully. If you want a stunning warm shot with calm waters and picturesque skies, then head out early on a summer evening. If you want a dramatic and energetic shot, you’d be better off heading out on an a bleak winters day when the clouds are at their most dramatic and water is churning around.

Equipment wise, as well as your DSLR and a nice wide angle lens, you’d be advised to take your tripod and a set of neutral density filters. With these, you’ll be able to tone down the brightness in the sky and achieve flow in the water through longer shutter speeds. It’s important to be patient, wait for the light to change and keep snapping. Remember not to over do the post processing, don’t just start enhancing all the colours, it’s essential that the shot retains it’s natural look. Once you’ve mastered the basics at a location familiar to you, it’s time to head out into the wider world and find breathtaking locations to capture for yourself.

Photo Inspiration

Odalaigh

CHUCKage

Altus

Cobalt 123

Jon Person

Dicktay2000

mivan_via

Nir Nussbaum

James Marvin Phelps

Dicktay2000 2

Moyan_brenn

Wherever I Roam

Visit Greece

M-A-V

Tiago Cabral

Squirmelia

jgraham

Alessandrogussu

Taylor Mcbride

Lassi Kurkijarvi

Simon Bray

Simon Bray

Rao_anirudh

Crowt59

RickyDavid

RickyDavid

Hooray I’m Helping

Amber_rsm

James Marvin Phelps

Utah Dave

Scott Ingram

PandaPictures

PictoScribe

Insight Imaging

Insight Imaging

Gord McKenna

Insight Imaging

NoodlePie

Left-hand

James Marvin Phelps

Steve D.

WolfgangStaudt

Y2bd

MHowells

Subadei

TylerIngram

KevinBotto

Jimmy Brown

Albert Debruijn

Jeff Pang

Jeff Pang

Jeff Pang

Lens Crack

Thomas Zasso

JohanLB

Gerg1967

Captain Kimo

JHeat

Jeff Pang

Scott Ingram

Slack12

Keyg3n

Tom Gill

Ross Manges

Keyg3n

Keyg3n

Keyg3n

Michael Connell

Michael Connell

Vaidas M

Jukka Vuokko

Andrew Morrell

Brentbat

Paola Margari

Mark Bowman

Further Reading

Here are a few links to really useful tutorials and articles that will teach you more about this type of photography:

• A Over 60 Breathtaking Images of Lakes
• Quick Tip – Capturing Movement in Water
• Achieve Beautiful Landscape Photos With A Neutral Density Filter

Share Your Own Images!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the photographs and that they’ve inspired you to go out and capture something amazing for yourself!

We’d love to see your favorite waterside shots – just post a comment and link below. Also, feel free to link to any resources that you’ve found particularly helpful in this area.