5 tips for capturing awesome whitewater rafting photos

This summer, I am back at True North Outpost to photograph their epic whitewater rafting trips down the Menominee River. The dam-controlled Menominee River produces a high volume of whitewater all summer long, making it a great summer adventure destination.

Rafters can experience class III and IV rapids. Trips start in Niagara, WI overlooking 100-foot high bluffs through a beautiful flat water section before entering the deepest whitewater gorge in the Midwest, Piers Gorge.

Before the season is fully underway, I spent a few days on the river with our newest photographers and whitewater guides doing some practice runs. Here are my 5 tips for capturing epic shots on the river:

1.You’re going to get wet

Anytime you’re playing around water, you’re bound to get wet. Consider putting your gear into waterproof and durable case to keep your camera gear protected. A plastic bag can also come in handy as a makeshift cover to protect your camera while shooting in the rain.

2.It’s going to be hot

While the whitewater tours are making their way to the fun rapids, I’m hiking and waiting on shore for the action to begin. With summer temps averaging in the 80s, water is essential! I always bring my Yeti water bottle, and some trail mix or a granola bar to snack on while I wait.

Working outside requires a good sunscreen, sunshirt, hat and sunglasses. Water and rocks reflect, so be prepared to get the shot!

3.Speed is your friend

Action shots mean knowing how to use the “exposure triangle” for your creative eye.

Capturing motion includes using a fast shutter speed, a wide aperture and somewhat of a high-ish ISO. There is always more than one way to capture the shot you’re going for, so adjusting these three settings can help you get that perfect shot.

Cannon offers a “sport” mode on most of their DSLR cameras and can be a great way to start learning what settings are going to work best for different conditions.

With whitewater rafting trips, the water and the sun play a huge factor into your camera settings. On extremely bright days, I also like to use a combination of lens filters to help adjust the amount of light I’m bringing into the shot. On really bright days, I will opt to use my Neutral Density (ND) filter. ND filters are extremely helpful in bright light conditions.

4.Faces tell a story

When I shoot action photography, zooming in on your subject to capture the guests reaction gives the viewer a glimpse of what it’s like on the river. From excitement to uncertainty, the look on guests faces when they get into the bigger rapids shows what was going through their mind in that moment.

5. The best camera is the one you have

Personally, I have chosen to shoot on the Cannon system. Why? Because it’s what I’ve had access to since I began my photography journey and I’ve just stuck with that system throughout the years. Many photographers have taken the advice of “the best camera is the one you have.”

Cannon has not really changed their button placement and camera functions from model to model, so for me the muscle memory I developed for where and what functions I need to capture the shot on the camera have transferred when I’ve upgraded camera bodies over the years. This has made the learning curve when upgrading equipment very easy for me and a big reason why I haven’t changed brands.