Victoria Falls Pictures
Victoria Falls is undeniably a photographer’s paradise. Every which
way you look your eyes feast on the breathtaking scenery. The problem is that
our eyes take in the whole spectacle with ease, but to capture this immense
panorama on camera is not an easy challenge.
I have written an article giving Tips for Taking Photographs at Victoria
Falls if you would like to read it
click here
Scroll through a few of my pictures below. These are
available in high definition if anybody wants at a small cost. Please
contact us
Victoria falls pictures 1
Sunrise at Victoria Falls. In my view this is an
absolute must do. The park entrance gate opens at 6am giving you
just enough time to get in and set up before the sun peeps over the
horizon. This shot was taken at 6.18am in late September, the Sun
very conveniently rises behind the main falls creating this
absolutely magical scene.
Victoria falls pictures 2
The hot dry, dusty and smoked filled atmosphere in
September ensures that sunrises and sunsets have this very red glow.
Hardly any other tourists venture out at this time so its very quiet
with no one else around - a Natural Wonder of the World all to
yourself...
Victoria falls pictures 3
As the sun continues to rise, hues change from red
to pink, it's so beautiful. How convenient to have some palm trees
placed just perfectly to add to the scene as well. A tripod is an
essential piece of equipment to get the silky effect of the water at
slow shutter speeds.
Victoria falls pictures 4
This shot is taken from the rocks below Viewpoint
number one by Livingstone's statue, and gives and angle not normally
seen.
Victoria falls pictures 5
Ariel view of Victoria Falls - The chasm runs in an
east - west direction and the river at this point flows from north to
south. This angle is from the Zimbabwe side looking towards Zambia on
the far bank. Devils Cataract is the name of the falls at the very
bottom of the picture. Moving up and along is Cataract island where you
can clearly see the next fault line forming. In several million years
that will become the new line of the Falls
Victoria falls pictures 6
The previous Photo was of the Falls from the Zimbabwe
bank this photo is taken from the Zambian bank looking towards Zimbabwe.
The narrow gap separating the two countries is clearly visible as the
mighty Zambezi transforms from a 1.8km wide lazy river to a turbulent
and angry narrow gorge . The Bridge and border separating the countries
is also visible.
As you can see the Majority of the Falls is best
viewed from Zimbabwe, with Zambia only having the Eastern Cataract in
the very bottom of the photo.
Victoria falls pictures 7
This is taken at what is called Danger point, it's
the furthest point that you can go on the Zimbabwe side and it looks
across to the Zambian side, and also down into what is known as the
boiling pot.
Victoria falls pictures 8
Rainbows are best seen in the afternoon from 2 pm
onwards as in this photograph - which is taken at what is aptly
named rainbow falls. The next photo shows this section of the falls
in the dry season.
Victoria falls pictures 9
This is the same section of falls as the previous
photograph ( Rainbow falls) but this is taken in October when the
water levels are lower, as you can see they are completely
different. Eastern cataract in the background still has some water
but this will even dry up at the height of the dry season - mid to
end November.
Victoria falls pictures 10
Even in the Dry season this section of the Falls -
Main Falls still has plenty of water pounding over the lip. This
shot is taken looking through the dense vegetation of the
Rainforest.
Vfp 11
Devils cataract in the early
morning with the rainbow just beginning to form. These are a small
set of falls to the extreme west of the Main Falls. The statue of
David Livingstone who first saw the Victoria Falls in 1855 sits
amongst the trees just above these falls.
Vfp 12
This Photo is taken from Danger point in late
afternoon as the sun is beginning to set, it looks back along the
length of the falls towards the main falls. My photo's just can't
capture the awesome height and power of the water as it surges in
the gorge below. Victoria falls pictures 13
Another early morning shot with the sun catching
the rising spray from the main falls
Victoria falls pictures 14
Between viewpoints one and two you can descend and
set of slippery steps to get a lower view of the Falls... it's a bit
like climbing down into the gorge and it looks right down the length
of the Falls. The rising spray obliterates much of the view but you
can see the first bit of the main falls and wonderful rainbows are
visible on sunny afternoons.
Vfp 15
Some places you can stand right on the edge of the
falls, it is difficult to describe just how awe inspiring this
experience is.
Vfp 16
Happy tourists get drenched at danger point. The
rocks are slippery and there are no barriers between you and the
river 100m below.
Vfp 17
This is also taken at danger point, the flow of
the falls is not so heavy here, but still lots of mist and very
impressive.
Vfp 18
Cloud formations can be impressive during the
rainy season - November to April- here you can see a huge cumulus
nimbus developing
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Taking Photographs at Victoria Falls
The chasm of the falls runs in an almost east west direction, with the
Zambezi river flowing North to South. Therefore the sun crosses almost across
the length of the falls, as it passes in its arc rainbows are produced. Rainbows
are created by light refracted through the water particles in the mist from the
spray, so as the sun moves so do the rainbows.
I have found that the best time to get the rainbows in the right place for
photographs is in the afternoon from 2 pm onwards. There will be rainbows in the
morning but these don’t appear in the right places. Overcast days sadly produce
no rainbows which can be very frustrating.
The time of the year is a critical factor as the seasons affect the volume of
water cascading over the falls, please see our
climate
page for full details on this, but suffice to say here that from December
through to April/ May the Falls are normally pumping. This is spectacular to
see, hear and feel but makes photography all the more challenging. Not only is
it difficult sometimes to see the falls themselves due to the huge volume of
spray, but cameras obviously get soaked. It is one thing to let yourself get
wet, infact I would thoroughly recommend this as it is part of the whole
experience but it is not a good idea for expensive equipment. There are various
ways to deal with this.
I have found that a good sized umbrella works well (these can be hired just
outside the entrance to the falls, if you have forgotten yours) for this
operation you need an assistant, as you just weren’t born with enough hands. In
very heavy spray even an umbrella won’t help though - as the spray is being
blasted up as well a falling down.
You will see lots of people trying to cover their camera with their hands to
shelter it from the incessant rain with very little effect. Please don’t
underestimate the amount of water at this time of year, if you want to take good
photos and don’t go prepared you will walk away disappointed.
Plastic bags work to keep your camera dry while you are walking along but
are a hassle when you need to get your camera out to photograph. A possible tip
here for SLR cameras is to get a big plastic bag and cut a hole in the side of
it the same size as your lens circumference, then use an elastic band to seal
the bag onto the lens. This will keep you camera nice and dry and you actually
put your head inside the bag to take the photograph. If you have any friends or
family with you, they will leave you at about this stage. The lens cap will keep
the lens dry, removing it only for short periods to take the photos.
The best way of course is to buy a waterproof cover, these are available now
to fit most cameras, you might not be able to justify the cost, but if you are
travelling a long way and you’re only doing this once you might find it worth
while. I have found a good selection at reasonable prices from
Amazon.com
Make sure that you take a dry lens cleaning cloth with you and keep it in a
waterproof bag, as a your shirt will almost certainly get soaked and will be of
little help to you when you get those few droplets of water on your lens.
From May onwards the Zambezi waters start to recede as we go into the dry winter
season, as the volume decreases the visibility increases as there is less spray,
but less spray can also be less impressive.
October / November is the height of the dry season and parts of the falls do
completely stop flowing, this is particularly evident on the eastern cataract
which forms the Zambian side of the Falls.
If you are staying in Zambia at this time of year - I am sorry but you will
be disappointed and you will need to make a border crossing to the Zimbabwe side
to get a better view.
There is therefore no perfect time of year as each season has its merits and
demerits. Each year is also different depending on the rainfall in the whole
catchment basin which is huge. It’s a matter of making the best of whenever you
are there.
Polaroid filters if you have one are great to enhance the colour of the sky
and clouds but unfortunately they will cut out your rainbows.
A tripod if you are very keen on taking different shots is a good idea.
Generally with the sunshine and the white water shutter speeds of your camera
are very fast and no tripod is necessary.
However if you want to get this silky effect of the water flowing, you with
need to get your shutter speed down to a least 3oth/sec. Hand holding this is
obviously impossible so a tripod in this instance is vital.
Because of the amount of light you will need to use one or 2 neutral density
filters to reduce the amount of light and slow you shutter speed down. Your
polarising filter also works well here cutting out 1 to 2 f/stops.
The Zimbabwe side has 16 magnificent view points along its length. These take
you right to the lip of the falls.
Wide angle lenses are generally the order of the day here, to take in as much
of the panorama as possible. 28mm focal length is minimum but a 17mm is
preferable. A telephoto lens is also useful at times to get tights shots of
sections of the falls for dramatic effect.
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