BLOG ARTICLES

Anatomy of a Waterfall

November 10, 2025

It deserves to be said: Waterfalls are among the best subjects in the landscape photographer community around the world. Who doesn’t love a waterfall? And why does everyone actually love waterfalls? For me, it’s quite simple: standing near a waterfall is the place where I feel the most zen. Especially if the waterfall also happens to be in a forest. I think forests and waterfalls complement each other nicely. As far as I am concerned, a scene which consists of flowing water cascading over rocks bringing your eyes up to a lovely waterfall with gorgeous trees framing the top of the frame will always be an automatic winner. Don’t get me wrong…Icelandic waterfalls are cool too…

Every time I point my camera at a waterfall, I often ask myself what kind of waterfall could that one be? Is there such a thing as a naming system for waterfalls? I love to be well informed about what I am photographing…that’s my nerdy side I guess. Believe it or not, after doing an interesting Google search, I found some really interesting information about waterfall types. In this article, I will also share a few « behind the scenes » tips about how I photographed them and why I like each one differently.

That morning was the second one of my very short trip to Pennsylvania and I decided to hike up the glen from the lower parking lot for a second time. It had been raining a lot on the previous couple days so I was guaranteed to have some pretty epic water flow. Fall colours were just passed prime but I knew I could make it work depending how I would compose the image. Being there a couple days earlier, I knew the tree canopy was perfect at the lower falls but mostly open at the higher ones up the glens. I was going to focus on the lower ones…As I was hiking up the glen, I was greeted with some of the best overall conditions. As the sun was just raising above the horizon, lifting some light fog from the ground which was adding an immense amount of atmosphere. It was truly magical…nothing beats the experience of being at the bottom of a waterfall, surrounded by colourful trees, all the odours, noises and then to top it all off, you add some fog to the experience…simply priceless!The sad reality of the situation at Ricketts Glen State Park is the fact that multiple trees break every years. The erosion combined with aging trees and severe storms is literally breaking the forest apart. It won’t affect you that much on a hiking point of view…but photographically speaking, a lot of waterfalls have became nearly impossible to photograph. At some locations, there are so many broken tree trunks and/or branches that you simply can’t get a clear view. I was super sad to see that things have changed since I was there two years ago. — Nothing beats a waterfall hunting trip during the fall season! Correct me if I am wrong…the fall season is the best season of them all!

THE CASCADE WATERFALL

Cascading Beauty — Here’s a good example of Cascades Waterfalls. I setup my camera and tripod high enough to take advantage of the beautiful leading lines caused by water cascading from one rock to the next.

The Cascades are often made of a series of small waterfalls cascading over boulders. Even though these might be far from being the most impressive of the waterfalls, I truly love them because when well composed, they often create some really strong leads into the composition.

These kinds of waterfalls can often be very flat…for that reason, I will make sure not to setup my camera too close to the ground or water level. It’s best to point it down towards the cascades to give them a sense of grandeur without making them look too flat.

THE FAN WATERFALL

Zenfully Gorgeous — Fan Waterfalls are often very delicate which could potentially make them dry during the summer season. I was lucky to see it flowing that nicely during that lovely fall season afternoon.

The Fan Waterfalls are probably my favorite of all. They are called Fan Waterfalls because they often have the fan of a fan which makes sense. What I like most about them is they always create a great impact as a main subject in landscape images. They are often constructed from a series of vertical drops and for the most part will keep contact with the cliff walls. Since most of the drops are forming narrow little waterfalls, choosing the right shutter speed is often of great importance. I like to start with an exposure time of 1/4 of a second and then I will fine tune from there until I reach the desired result. I did cover the topic of shutter speed in my article THE POWER OF LONG EXPOSURE. You can see what difference different shutter speeds could potentially make in landscape images here.

One thing to always keep in mind with Fan Waterfalls, do not omit the use of a very long lens like a 70-200mm or a 100-400mm to zoom in substantially and isolate specific parts of the waterfall and create dreamy abstract images. Then again, a shutter speed of 1/4 to 1/2 second will be a good starting point.

THE TIERED WATERFALL

The Day After — Tiered Waterfalls are very photogenic thanks to their multiple visual qualities and abilities to add so much depth in any composition.

The Tiered Falls are constituted of a series of consecutive waterfalls one after another. These waterfalls don’t always need to be of the same type or height. What I love about these is the impression of depth they add to a landscape image. The layering effect can often be mind boggling with these types of waterfalls. And photography being a two dimensional medium, having a multi layer subject like a Tiered Waterfall in a composition will only accentuate the visual impact.

When photographing these types of waterfalls, I tend to prefer to stand really close to a foreground element like a small water cascade, use a wider focal length and make the foreground fall look similarly big to the one in the background. Doing so will require me to focus stack since getting every detail into focus in a single image will be nearly impossible even when using techniques such as Hyper Focal focusing distance. Read more about THE ART OF FOCUS STACKING here.

THE PLUNGE WATERFALL

So my plans for 2023 fall season was to go out and shoot! Ok…to be honest with you, that’s nothing new for me. It might sound like I have never done it before but in fact, I go out to enjoy fall colours every years. It’s just that in my neighborhood, as spectacular as fall colours can look like, they are truly difficult to properly capture on images I would be proud to display in my portfolio.I wanted to visit new places…and speaking of new places, I had New York and Pennsylvania in mind. And to be honest with you all, I didn’t have high expectations. I was expecting to see waterfalls but never in my life was I expecting to have my mind blown daily! There are so many places to see, so many gorges and canyons, tons of waterfalls, colourful forests and all of that just a couple hours from my home!Here is the first one of many… That specific location was one that seriously blew my mind! As simple as it looks like, I loved the fact that ot was kept as natural as possible… The hike to get there was short and sweet but super lovely and then when you get to the end of that trail, wham! There she was! What a scene! — In that image, I chose to pose just so I can add a sense of scale to the actual scene. Did you also notice my matching yellow jacket?

The Plunge Waterfall will most of the time be a big narrow drop that won’t keep contact with the cliff wall. Typically, plunge waterfalls also generate enough spray to erode the underside of the cliff even further thereby causing caves beneath the lip of the waterfall. When we talk about water spray, we also talk about the camera gear getting soaking wet if you stand too close to the waterfall. Consider using a rain cover for the camera?

On a composition point of view, these waterfalls are often very narrow and won’t fill much of the background in the composition. I highly recommend photographing in portrait orientation in order to minimize the amount of empty space on each side of the frame. Or, why not use a model in the composition to give the waterfalls a sense of scale? Show the world how big your main subject was!

THE HORSETAIL WATERFALL

As opposed to what its name says, the Horsetail Waterfall doesn’t always look like a horsetail. The Plunge Waterfall will often look more like a clean horsetail. But unlike the The Plunge Waterfalls, the Horsetail Waterfalls will keep contact with the cliff wall. These kind of waterfalls will present more or less the same pros and cons of the Plunge Waterfalls…

THE SEGMENTED WATERFALL

Fall Season is truly fascinating! How can one particular season be that beautiful? When you think about it for a minute, the exact moment when everything goes into dormant state also seems to be the moment when everything looks the most vibrant and alive! That day was the last one of my fall colour hunt trip to NewYork and Pennsylvania in 2023…I had a couple locations in mind and some of them were a bit of a hit or miss type of situation…this one was definitely a hit! Walking down near the river was truly like walking in a fairytale! I love the sound and feeling of walking in a carpet of beautiful fluffy leaves! The smell and the sound it makes is truly one of a kind! I had to cross the river at some point…so having my waders on was truly a wise decision. And then came the moment when I looked through my camera’s viewfinder and saw that composition…OMG! It was so beautiful! It was just so perfect! There is no season like autumn! But damn can these rocks be slippery! Ask me how I know! — Here’s a good example of many things…from top down, you can see a Segmented Waterfall, then some Step Waterfalls and a Punchbowl one to finish with…and then behind me, dropping multiple meters, there was a big Plunge Waterfall. Nature makes things in such an impeccable way!

The Segmented Waterfalls involves a water flow that will split into two sections which will cause two separate vertically parallel falls. The Segmentation could be caused by rock stacks or islands at the edges where the water drops off the cliffs. That waterfall type could also be very dependent to water flow conditions in a sense that it would be a proper segmented waterfall right after rain but a single waterfall after multiple consecutive days without rain. In other words, it could be weather dependent.

What I love about them is they often create more visual impact after a good rain which would automatically create a wider main subject in a composition. But this could also lead to a main subject deviating eyes in two separate directions when flowing at their max level.

THE STEPS WATERFALL

The Step Waterfall also often called the multi step is basically a type that goes down a series of distinct drops. Each drop is roughly similar in height as the previous one. If you have never been to Watkins Glen State Park in New York State during the fall season, I’d highly recommend you go! In fact, a trip to Ithaca should be on everybody’s wish list. First of all, Ithaca is a lovely city with many great food options, it is surrounded by tons of great hiking locations filled with gorgeous waterfalls. Highly recommended location that will blow your mind…and it’s also quite affordable!

THE VEIL WATERFALL

Both states of New York and Pennsylvania impressed me! What was I initially expecting for that trip? Well, I was expecting to photograph some waterfalls and fall season colours. That part definitely was mission accomplished! I was truly impressed on countless occasions! Of the many locations I wanted to see, Watkins Glen was probably at the top of my list. When someone visits the Canadian Rockies, he or she has to see Lake Louise! It’s just so beautiful and iconic! To me, Watkins Glen was going to be the icon of this area! I wanted a shot of Rainbow Falls so bad! Little did I know about how busy that place was going to be…Busy is a big understatement. I was standing near the guard rail making sure I wasn’t blocking the pathway. I was patiently waiting to see if I could get a clear shot without any tourist but this wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Everybody was stopping multiple times to grab cellphone images…while water was dripping on me and my camera, and people weren’t as cautious as I was getting bumped every once in a while. I seriously almost lost it! I have so much patience...but I will admit that it went record low on that particular day! — That image of Watkins Glen State Park is such an icon. That location is awe inspiring. But that image was so demanding to capture. There was a constant flow of tourists walking up and down the trail…patience was required to create that one! But it’s a great example of Step Waterfalls in the center of the frame and then a lovely Veil Waterfall coming into the frame on the left side.

The Veil Waterfall is an unofficial waterfall type name that I love to use. This waterfall will normally be dry during peak summer season because of the lack of precipitation. Most of the time it will be the result of overflowing water spontaneously coming down from random cliffs. I truly love the delicateness they add to any waterfall scene. They look very light and « see-through » just like a bride’s veil.

THE BLOCK WATERFALL

Fall season this year was one for the books! And if there is one photography trip in 2023 that exceeded my expectations, it has to be my fall trip to New York and Pennsylvania. As far as photography goes, I am kind of spoilt. Spoilt in a sense that I have seen many truly gorgeous places in this world. Places that include Iceland, Faroe Islands, Ireland, South West USA, Canadian Rockies and many more…but little did I know about the fact that I could drive just a couple hours south of Montreal and find stuff that would simply blow my mind that much. Who would have thought about Pennsylvania right? And how about a five miles trail that has well over 20 waterfalls? Ricketts Glen has that! As a landscape photographer, it is difficult to contain our emotions in such an environment. Every next waterfall was more impressive than the previous one…then came this one: Oneida Waterfall. That scene is Just Like A Fairytale! Water was flowing abundantly, atmosphere was equally impressive and the fall colours were simply fiery perfect! — Oneida Falls in probably my favorite scene in Ricketts Glen State Park. It is such a perfect example of the typical waterfall!

When we talk about a Block Waterfall, we are often referring to the most typical classic type of waterfalls everyone imagines when talking about waterfalls: a rectangular looking waterfall. These are often wider than they are high. It often descends a vertical wall and won’t keep contact with it. I don’t necessarily enjoy these and that especially if they are too wide. I often prefer to photograph landscape images in vertical orientation and if the falls are too wide they will need to be cut to fit because they won’t always fit in the frame.

THE PUNCHBOWL WATERFALL

I will remember that morning for a long time…why you might ask? It was the first morning in Pennsylvania. My main reason for being there was to visit new waterfalls and revisit some of my favourite ones from two years ago. It was fun to go back to Ricketts Glen State Park and I even got to meet Joseph James Cole, a local friend that I have been chatting with him Instagram since years. Love or hate social medias…I am truly thankful towards IG for all the fantastic people I met here!As Joseph and I were walking along the river, we were just talking about things a stuff. It’s a truly peaceful walk because you hear the noice of water going downstream and the forest smells delicious. It was raining on and off…all good, I had my umbrella and my rain jacket. I was very well prepared! And as we were approaching the very first significant waterfall, my heartbeats rose. I always get excited when I am about to get my camera out and shoot. One last root to hop before making it to the waterfall and boom! I slipped on said root because I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking. I fell hard…how to explain the position in which I fell: the butterfly style! Hockey fans know how a goalie looks like when he’s in butterfly style to stop the rubber puck with his pads.And boy did it hurt! It took a few long minutes to get up…I was slowly assessing the damage and trying to get my ego back to a normal state. Then I stood back on my feet and walked the last few very painful steps required to reach that damn first waterfall! And here’s the shot! — I love to photograph with an ultra wide angle lens and since I couldn’t get any closer to the actually fall, I had to use a technique called Focal Length Blending. The final result is something more visually balanced when compared to reality.

The Punchbowl Waterfall is a setup in which water falls from a constricted area and drops into a wider pool. These types of waterfalls often have a significant flow since there is a restrictive element at the top of the fall. In many situations, you won’t be able to get anywhere near the base of these waterfalls because of said wide pool which means that standing at a certain distance from the waterfall will make it look quite small in the composition. And since I love to photograph with an ultra-wide angle lens, this makes things even worse. What I tend to do in these situations is Focal Length Blending or Perspective Blending which consists of capturing the foreground and the background at slightly different focal lengths and merge them together into Photoshop using simple layers and masks. I have previously talked about Perspective Blending in another Blog Article…if you’d like to know more about how it’s done, please have a look at my article HOW TO PLAY WITH PERSPECTIVE.

…IN CONCLUSION

In conclusion, waterfalls are awesome! I had great fun exploring new ones just a few weeks ago. I returned to some of the places in Pennsylvania I visited two years ago as well as a bunch of new amazing and more difficult places to access. Visiting waterfalls during the summer season can be challenging for multiple reasons…the heat can make hiking uncomfortable, the lack of precipitation can literally shut down the waterfalls and the fact that all the vegetation is green kills all natural contrast…in the fall season, every one of these possible problems is solved! The temperature was so nice for hiking, I had a great amount of rain so the falls were very active and the colors here in the North East never disappoint!

Oh…and I must not forget to mention that soon will be time to photograph frozen waterfalls…please do not ignore the potential beauty of these! Happy season transition period everyone!

My main goal when I go out to such locations is to photograph as much as I can. The sad reality is when the weather has different plans for you...that image actually was taken minutes after the Icefield Parkway re opened after a huge snow storm. I literally had to clean a parking spot along the main road in order to park there...then I snowshoed to Sunwapta with my friend to catch the very little last bit of epic light before sunset. Being there all by ourselves right after a big snowfall of near 70cm sure felt like a fairy tale! — Looking very different when frozen...but definitely as beautiful as when it's flowing during summer season! Now, based on what you learnt in the article, what kind of waterfall would that one be?

What should I talk about in my next Blog Article? Send me requests…I will create content that will please you all!

Posted in Improve your Photography, General Tips.

← Previous: Are You Ready For Autumn?

Next: What's Underneath Christmas Tree? →

BLOG ARTICLES

Anatomy of a Waterfall

Related Posts