Horsetail is one of the more challenging waterfalls to reach in the Columbia River Gorge. While you can shoot it from your car, you have to actually get out if you want this perspective.
Seriously though, the real challenges are the crowds and traffic. To beat that, I took this image early in the morning, so that I could shoot from the bridge without dodging cars. I had the luxury of the scene to myself.
I don't normally shoot at this high of an ISO, but with the dim lighting the wind this waterfall whips up made controlling motion a chore.
Since this waterfall is photographed almost as often as Multnomah, I mixed it up a little by going for a painterly effect in the processing.
Nikon D80
Nikon 12.0-24.0 mm f/4.0 at 12 mm
¼ & 1/10 sec at f/16 and ISO 2200
Blend of two photos for water texture
Comments
14 commentsLovely waterfall scenic. The colors are beautiful. I especially like the grouping of trees on the right and the rock, mosses and greens on the left, and how they frame the waterfall.
The only suggestions I have would be to burn slightly, or desaturate slightly the greenery in the ULC; not that it's off by much, but more because it pulls the eye to that corner. minor though. the other suggestion is a slight crop off the bottom. I do understand the flow of the vertical with the creek and outflow, but for me, the beauty and strength of the image is the upper 2/3 - 3/4.
Lon
I understand why you wanted to include the stream on the bottom -- I like to see that flow not getting cut off. However, I keep wondering what's on the left; if it is as lovely as the rest of the scene, I'd like to see a wider composition, with the falls shooting from the right, going into the scene. Wonderful light -- Those late-sleepers don't know what they are missing.
--P