Niagara Falls Tips???

[99csvtoledo]

going to Niagara Falls in 2 weeks and need some tips on shooting. im mostly concerned about colors, ie the falls lit up at night. should i get some filters if so what ones. and of course i know bring the tripod. any other helpful hints would be greatly appreciated

 

[ies photos]

Be careful if you take your kit on the boat!! You get a good soaking!!!

 

[JerryPH]

1 - The Canadian side has the best view, thats a start.

2 - Tripod, tripod, tripod!

3 - Wide angle is what it's all about!

4 - Small apertures (numerically bigger) rules!

5 - If you want to get fancy, combine flash and long shutter times. This will freeze the subject clearly exposed in the frame and give you ambient enough to see the lights at night.

The tip about NOT bringing your camera thingies on the boat... very important!

You don't need filters or anything else. Did I mention a tripod?

 

[usayit]

Yup.. Jerry's right... Tripod (good heavy sturdy one) is well worth taking along. I enjoyed my visit a lot. I didn't use flash and relied on long shutter speeds and a wired remote. If you can, you'll want to lock up the mirror.

You can get some good shots if you plan ahead and go just before sunrise. All the stores/shops/interests are closed still and the place is a ghost town. Get a cup of coffee, walk down to the view points, climb up to the highest vantage point, and get everything ready. Just enjoy your coffee and wait for the good light to show up. It was such a relaxing experience that I made that my daily routine during my 1 week visit.

Don't forget to leave the "tourist" area and venture out to the surrounding areas. They have a lot to offer... Ice Wine.


As for the boat... "soaking" just doesn't seem to be enough to describe the experience. It is like standing on the wet site of a Hurricane soaked!!! I had my weather sealed 1DMII and 24-105L. I'm not usually worried about getting it wet (rain etc..) but on that trip, I had to bring it under my poncho... My wife had her waterproof Olympus P&S and enjoyed taking pictures of "rain droplets"... hehehe lol Loads of fun.

 

[andrew99]

I live in Toronto, so I've been there many times! It's a great area for photography.

Lots of good tips already posted here.. I'll try and add some without duplicating everyone else too much!

1) Definitely tripod for night shots. I took this one without a tripod, I rested the camera on the railing and then fixed the rotation in post, but a tripod would have been *much* easier and made everything sharper.

2) Go at different times of day. The light changes a lot, and also it's very busy at times, so early morning is great.

3) Filters -- You don't really *need* any, but if you have a circular polarizer to cut the glare or an ND filter to allow for longer exposure times, you could get some neat effects.

4) There is a small town called Niagara-on-the-Lake about 10 or 15 minutes from the falls on the Canadian side, it's a scenic little town, well worth the drive.

5) I've been to both the Canadian and American sides, the perspective is very different, I prefer the Canadian side. Also there are tonnes of hotels and stuff close to the water on the Canadian side, which kind of spoils the shots when shooting from the American side!

6) Within walking distance of the falls (on the Canadian side) there are lots of tourist attractions and some nice buildings to shoot.

7) Wide angle lens! I got some of my favorite shots using my Sigma 10-20mm.

Just curious, where are you coming from? Are you driving or flying?

 

[osirus]

I live about 10 mins away from the falls.
advice ,get a rain cover for your camera
if the wind is the right way even the mist from the falls will act like you are in the pouring rain.

take a drive down the river, theres many nice spots.
You can hike down to the bottom of the gorge at the whirlpool, its nice there.

Agreed witht he early morn comment
int he day and nighttime, its SUPER busy
you can hardley even get a spot at the railing to view the falls on a nice day..

i was there on my bike and thought ok il jam my bike agaisnt the railing here..
Then people will give me a little space as i took pictures.
nope..
they crowded right around.
i had to ask them all to move so i could get my bike out..


Every Friday and sunday, at i think 10pm theres fireworks over the falls.
get down the river a bit near the rainbow bridge and you should be able to get some really nice photos. of them over the falls.( i plan on doing this soon)


i was right at the falls for this pic so i was looking away from them so many people there i didnt even attempt getting a better spot.

the falls are lit up at night using theses lights

Wide angle lens also recomended

this was taken with my old kodak P&S with a screw on fisheye adapter

wide angle lets you get the whole rainbow in frame

have fun.

 

[99csvtoledo]

thanx alot guys for all the tips... oh and im coming from toledo ohio. and ill be driving so i hope to get a few good pics on the way out there too.

 

[andrew99]

Ahh, I just noticed Toledo in your user name!

I'm sure you'll have a great trip! Be sure to come to the Canadian side!

 

[Early]

going to Niagara Falls in 2 weeks and need some tips on shooting. im mostly concerned about colors, ie the falls lit up at night. should i get some filters if so what ones. and of course i know bring the tripod. any other helpful hints would be greatly appreciated

Nix on the filters. Let the colors fall where they may. A tripod is good though, if you're allowed to use it. If not, carry a rag so you can rest the camera on a railing or something solid. Take lots of photos from different angles on both sides.