Posted by Hans Hibbard on July 28, 2007 at 1:32 AM
I've been meaning to get up here for a while and I'm glad I did. It is a very beautiful area. This is the first falls along the trail.
When I had just approached the falls, this little creature began bouncing around within about 15 feet of me. I'd never seen one before but guessed it must be a pine marten. It was. He was a cute little critter! He hung around me for about a minute before bounding off. It didn't even cross my mind to take a photo I looked up some photos to show my wife and boys but, none of them really compared to this little guy.
Anyway, critiques welcome as always. The flowers aren't tack sharp but, I'm amazed that they and the grass aren't a blur.
D80, 18-70 @ 24mm, polarizer, 2ssgnd, 1.3", f/9, some curves adjustments in PSCS2
Posted by Darren White on July 28, 2007 at 12:44 PM
Hans...
I am surprised not more people have commented on this....I know there have been a lot of waterfall shots here lately but this is great....Except for that brown thing right in the front....I love the flow of this. Normally I like the water pure white but I think the blue works well here to give it that early morning feel.....I am gonna have to look this one up....thanks for sharing!
Posted by Adrian Klein on July 28, 2007 at 1:40 PM
This is a great waterfall image. And as Darren noted there is a brown out of focus line that needs to be removed. Other than that I like the comp and colors.
Posted by Hans Hibbard on July 28, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Thanks for pointing out the color cast Darren...maybe folks are turned off by it. I'm interested in hearing people's critiques without any sugar coating if that helps.
The brown line in the water is a log. I'm not sure about removing it.
Darren, I'm sure there are more but, I've only seen one other art shot of this falls (Ross Wordhouse) which is on one of the most popular trails in the entire cascade range...and his presentation is significantly different. I'm surprised I haven't run across more photos from this area.
Posted by Hans Hibbard on July 28, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Oops. Meant to post this with last post.
Posted by Darren White on July 28, 2007 at 1:47 PM
nice work Hans....but like I said in my first post...I thought the blue worked well to give it that morning feeling......
Posted by Darren White on July 28, 2007 at 1:48 PM
strange.....I now see the log under the water.....but at first it looked like it was sticking up from the flowers......
"The brown line in the water is a log. I'm not sure about removing it."
Darned nature getting in the way of... er,,, photographing nature!
This is a really nice shot, Hans. I like the second version slightly better, but both are nice. This is one of the best I've seen of this particular falls - few make the effort to climb down to stream level, and so it's usually a bit stark looking without the streamside greenery. The flowers are a nice plus, too!
You could clone the log out if it really bugged you - it would be fairly straightforward in this case.
I'd get rid of the log. Next, the comp is OK, but not completely compelling. Seems like it bothers me a little with the left side...it's too predominant and not very pretty. I can see why you included it (trying to put the grass and flowers in the fg), but it's just not moving me much overall.
A closer up view, showing some stream AND the whole base of the falls would be better.
Hans, I really like the comp on this. The texture in the water is something that I personally prefer (imho). The falls is beautiful the way you captured all the layers of the cascades and then added mystery by showing only a small part of the base of the falls. Nice touch with the Cow Parsnip in the fg. But darn it, I'd lose the log (again, imho). I only could recognize it after you said what it was. Just see how you like it without. How's that?
Posted by Hans Hibbard on July 29, 2007 at 2:17 PM
Thanks everyone for your input. As a rule, I consider using a single side of a river bank as a leading line to be unattractive and did my best to make it work in this case. Not because I particularly like the left side but, because of the few workable comps at this location.
As Tom stated, this falls is not particularly attractive up close ("stark"). The landscape is different than the western side of the mountains and doesn't turn to mossy, log-strewn beauty. Instead, it is tephra (?) and dirt/mud. There may be a comp up close but, I tried several close shots and none worked. I have one in mind but, it would take substantial commitment to the fast moving water.
I've been there a couple of times to shoot now and I may try again. I think one of the reasons there are few shots of this falls is because there aren't many workable comps. My mission to shoot it was mostly because I felt like it could be shot. I think I accomplished my mission and, like I said, I may try to improve upon it as the inspiration hits me!
PS - If I ever print this, I'll probably clone-out the log.
Hans, this photo raises an interesting point about the relative photogenic character of a spot. The Gorge waterfalls are hard to beat for "green, white and black" in beautiful, elegant contrast -- but what I liked about this image is that is captures the feeling of a mountain stream and falls really nicely. It showcases the power (and icy cold) of the water and also the gray trunks of the subalpine forest surrounding it. As a photograph of "nature" it beautifully captures the sense of being there. It's a nice variation from the "standard" Gorge-looking falls.
Discussion
11 repliesWhen I had just approached the falls, this little creature began bouncing around within about 15 feet of me. I'd never seen one before but guessed it must be a pine marten. It was. He was a cute little critter! He hung around me for about a minute before bounding off. It didn't even cross my mind to take a photo
Anyway, critiques welcome as always. The flowers aren't tack sharp but, I'm amazed that they and the grass aren't a blur.
D80, 18-70 @ 24mm, polarizer, 2ssgnd, 1.3", f/9, some curves adjustments in PSCS2
I am surprised not more people have commented on this....I know there have been a lot of waterfall shots here lately but this is great....Except for that brown thing right in the front....I love the flow of this. Normally I like the water pure white but I think the blue works well here to give it that early morning feel.....I am gonna have to look this one up....thanks for sharing!
The brown line in the water is a log. I'm not sure about removing it.
Darren, I'm sure there are more but, I've only seen one other art shot of this falls (Ross Wordhouse) which is on one of the most popular trails in the entire cascade range...and his presentation is significantly different. I'm surprised I haven't run across more photos from this area.
Darned nature getting in the way of... er,,, photographing nature!
This is a really nice shot, Hans. I like the second version slightly better, but both are nice. This is one of the best I've seen of this particular falls - few make the effort to climb down to stream level, and so it's usually a bit stark looking without the streamside greenery. The flowers are a nice plus, too!
You could clone the log out if it really bugged you - it would be fairly straightforward in this case.
Tom
A closer up view, showing some stream AND the whole base of the falls would be better.
As Tom stated, this falls is not particularly attractive up close ("stark"). The landscape is different than the western side of the mountains and doesn't turn to mossy, log-strewn beauty. Instead, it is tephra (?) and dirt/mud. There may be a comp up close but, I tried several close shots and none worked. I have one in mind but, it would take substantial commitment to the fast moving water.
I've been there a couple of times to shoot now and I may try again. I think one of the reasons there are few shots of this falls is because there aren't many workable comps. My mission to shoot it was mostly because I felt like it could be shot. I think I accomplished my mission and, like I said, I may try to improve upon it as the inspiration hits me!
PS - If I ever print this, I'll probably clone-out the log.
Tom
Tom