Triple Falls/Double Rise

Gallery: LandscapePosted October 3, 20121,168 views19 comments

The sun and moon rise as three streams converge and fall in Glacier National Park.

I -really- wish I had a polarizer for this image, as it would have been preferable to have clear water atop the rocks, instead of milky white. But I didn't, so it is what it is.

Actually stumbled upon these falls accidentally while exploring Logan Pass - I had no idea they were here other than vaguely knowing they were somewhere in the park, and it was a pleasant surprise.

The moon was taken from a 200mm exposure and downsized considerably, to put it at approximately the size it would have been at 50mm (the approximate focal length of the human eye). Thus, it appears the same size relative to the mountains in this exposure as I perceived it on-scene. It was placed directly over the tiny speck of a moon that the 18mm-equivalent exposure rendered, so positioning is accurate as well.

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 12-24mm

Comments

19 comments

Comment posted by Danny Laureys on October 3, 2012 at 10:21 PM

That's what I say, it is what it is, and this is beautifull.

Registered on January 5, 2008, 590 Posts, 1261 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Anderson on October 3, 2012 at 10:21 PM

Interesting.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on October 4, 2012 at 12:13 AM

Excellent job with the moon. Polarizer or not, this looks great.
I don't know it others will see the illusion that this is tipped a little counter-clockwise. I'm sure you leveled your camera, and the rest of the scene looks level, but the wide-angle view here makes it look like the stream on the left is flowing upstream. Not sure if that would bother anyone else enough to warrant altering this beautiful image.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Coskun on October 4, 2012 at 12:27 AM

Another beautifully crafted image Alex. That sliver of moon surely completes this scene. I like that the falls are all completely in the foreground not sacrificing any room there.

Registered on October 31, 2011, 170 Posts, 1240 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Hartmann on October 4, 2012 at 12:36 AM

Oh good heavens…. What a great take on this location. The components are positioned so nicely and the subject is special. The processing is fantastic and I especially like how the mountains are realistically exposed. The moon work is perfect.

Rock on Mr.

Registered on January 15, 2009, 13 Posts, 772 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on October 4, 2012 at 10:13 AM

Beautiful image Alex. Love the color combination of blue/red.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on October 4, 2012 at 12:11 PM

What a beautiful image! Excellent work here Alex. I think the moon looks great too.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on October 4, 2012 at 12:38 PM

Very pretty, Alex. The composition balance works quite well with the moon where it is and the nice smattering of clouds.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on October 4, 2012 at 12:52 PM

I really like this. The bright water doesn't bother me, but I can see where you would prefer it clear. As for everything else---incredible capture/processing. Great comp, natural colors, and good placement of the moon (by 'placement' I know it was accurately placed). I'm glad you 'stumbled' across this location. Let's hope you didn't stumble too much---that's quite a drop off...

Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on October 4, 2012 at 2:05 PM

Beautiful image. Love the colors and the light.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Oleg Kuchorenko on October 4, 2012 at 4:03 PM

Alex, all your work are incredible...

Registered on July 2, 2012, 9 Posts, 111 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on October 4, 2012 at 4:51 PM

Reds and blues, everything about it really nice Alex!

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Strong on October 4, 2012 at 5:01 PM

I love the warm/cool contrast you captured. I have some sunrise and sunset shots with the moon in them. I'm gonna start shooting the moon and replacing it like you describe. I've thought about it but never tried it. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on October 1, 2012, 43 Posts, 302 Comments

Comment posted by Alex Noriega on October 4, 2012 at 8:00 PM

Thanks, people.

Wayne, now that you mention it, I can see why it might look that way - the rock face in front of the left stream is angled away from the camera, so it looks like it goes "up". But if you look at the top of the rocks, you'll see they actually still tilt down a bit. I did level the shot with the in-camera D7000 level. It's certainly an interesting scene in person, which I don't believe this shot even adequately captures - the red rock plateaus look perfectly flat, yet you see the two streams coming down them!

Luke, I wish I'd had a wider lens, but this is all I had, at an 18mm full-frame equivalent. I think the LL, in addition to the moon, are perhaps a tad cramped - but there was no more sky action further up, so I'm not sure I would have wanted more space on this particular morning. Nowadays I'm rockin' the 10-24mm, for a 15mm-equivalent field of view.

Registered on May 19, 2012, 80 Posts, 195 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on October 5, 2012 at 8:54 AM

Stunning light and color Alex. Fantastic viewpoint!

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on October 5, 2012 at 4:04 PM

A fine take on this familiar scene. I like the comp, light, color, and the added element of the moon. Very well done.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on October 6, 2012 at 5:01 PM

Good grief! Thank goodness you forgot your polarizer!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Todd Caudle on October 8, 2012 at 10:01 AM

I think I'd prefer an 18mm moon over this. You don't need a larger-than-accurate moon to have a successful moon in an image, just the presence of one, however small, is a gift to be unwrapped over the course of enjoying an image.

Registered on November 9, 2003, 472 Posts, 3705 Comments

Comment posted by Alex Noriega on October 8, 2012 at 10:47 AM

Thanks for the input, Todd. A valid point. However, I specifically wanted to show the crescent shape in this image, and we all know an 18mm moon might as well be a bright star or planet. I wouldn't call this "inaccurate" though - that is honestly the size it appeared to me in relation to the scene. I don't think anything in an ultra-wide field of view could be considered "accurate" - it's a distortion of the way we perceive reality.

Registered on May 19, 2012, 80 Posts, 195 Comments