I had the opportunity of spending a day photographing waterfalls in Oregon a few weeks ago. I was out hiking before sunrise and did not stop until after sunset, spending about 12 hours on my feet. I managed to hike into nine waterfalls in the area, and had a blast despite the constant rain.
I really pushed my gear to the limits and found out just how waterproof my gear is, or in some cases is not. I managed to completely fog my wide angle lens (from the inside) on a particularely wet incident before I shot this. The mist from the massive falls and pouring rain put that lens out of commission for the remainder of the day. This forced me to shoot with my 24-105 lens, which meant a pano shot on a scene this wide. After waiting 15 minutes in the rain with a plastic bag over my camera for some people to clear out, I quickly setup and snapped 4 images in vertical, cleaning my lens and filter after each shot. The full resolution version you could see a group of people huddling under the trees from the rain at the base of the falls (I cloned them out carefully).
By the end of the trip, I had moisture on the inside of both LCD screens on my 5Dmk2. I managed to fog out both lenses I had with me. A towel and all my lens clothes were dripping wet. Despite drying my gear as best as I could, when I got home from the trip I found one of my scroll wheels had rusted from the inside....yes I said rust! Lets just say before I went on this trip I was worried about covering my camera as soon as a few drops would start to come down. After this trip, I am comfortable shooting in conditions that would make most people cringe just being outside. The things we do for a photo...
Posted by Bob Falcone on April 19, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Great photo, and good story to go with it. And...all that is why I hate being in the rain!
Posted by Don George on April 19, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Great image. Friends of ours from Oregon told us that it has been a very wet spring even for the natives. Looks like a good year for shooting.
Nice shot, Koveh! I didn't get a proper sense of scale until I noticed the bridge in the large version. I might be heading to Oregon next week, so I'm trying to psych myself up to possibly see more rain in a day than I've seen in the last eight months here in New Mexico.
Posted by Rene Pirolt on April 19, 2011 at 12:01 PM
Great shot Koveh. I love the super soft light. Good job on "pushing" your gear to get the shot.
Posted by Jack Garrett on April 19, 2011 at 1:13 PM
OOOh man, I loooove this shot!!!! I am going there for 8 days in May and I pray for an image that looks this good!! What falls is this and can you give me an idea on your settings?
Posted by Darren Huski on April 19, 2011 at 1:33 PM
Don - they have gotten a good amount of rain this year. Some of my friends who are local have been posting some great spring flowers shots too, so it looks like those are now in bloom. I am hoping to get back there in the summer again to capture the amazing lush growth.
Jackson - you will love the area. Wet rainy weather is perfect for shooting falls, but you have to overcome your fear of getting wet and just go with it. The area is truly stunning.. here in Colorado I get excited if I see a rocky creek. Over there it is not uncommon to be on a hike and every direction you look there is falls pouring down the canyon walls.
Jack - I post settings on every shot I post on my Flickr, so I don't mind sharing. You can find these below as well. This shot is of Wahclella Falls.
Canon 5D mark II
Canon 24-105L lens @45mm
1.3 sec @ F16
ISO 50
Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer
Great story and a stunning image, Koveh. I was at those falls once, and a photographer showed up with two nudes. He asked if I would mind if he photographed naked women in front of the falls. I said no problem. Is your gear all back in working order?
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on April 19, 2011 at 5:56 PM
WOW, that saturated green must blow your mind after a dry winter in Colorado!
Hope your camera survives in the long term. That rust would have me worried. Well, at least it wasn't salt water!
Dave - That is hilarious man. Sad to report no nude models when I was there. Just a bunch of tourist hiding under trees from the pelting rain. =)
Gear seems to be good right now, we will see if there is any long term damage. I applied some lubricant to the rusted wheel and at least it is working better now. In the end though, the gear is made to be used though right?
Very nicely crafted composition, Koveh!
Including the falls on the right was an inspiring choice...it's interesting in its own right and throws the main falls off center well.
If your camera hasn't dried out by now, a few days around the Moab area will do the trick!
Posted by Kalin Wilson on April 19, 2011 at 7:04 PM
Love the greens! I'm ready for some here in Colorado!
Posted by Sarah Marino on April 20, 2011 at 10:41 AM
Koveh - this is a beautiful rendition of this area. I also like that you included the small waterfall on the right as I think it adds to the sense of this place. Nice work!
Posted by Doug Koepsel on April 20, 2011 at 11:17 AM
A lot of nice things to look at in this soothing green image. Nice comp. Good to hear that all gear is working now.
Discussion
19 replieshttp://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5634770344_439df32411_b.jpg
I had the opportunity of spending a day photographing waterfalls in Oregon a few weeks ago. I was out hiking before sunrise and did not stop until after sunset, spending about 12 hours on my feet. I managed to hike into nine waterfalls in the area, and had a blast despite the constant rain.
I really pushed my gear to the limits and found out just how waterproof my gear is, or in some cases is not. I managed to completely fog my wide angle lens (from the inside) on a particularely wet incident before I shot this. The mist from the massive falls and pouring rain put that lens out of commission for the remainder of the day. This forced me to shoot with my 24-105 lens, which meant a pano shot on a scene this wide. After waiting 15 minutes in the rain with a plastic bag over my camera for some people to clear out, I quickly setup and snapped 4 images in vertical, cleaning my lens and filter after each shot. The full resolution version you could see a group of people huddling under the trees from the rain at the base of the falls (I cloned them out carefully).
By the end of the trip, I had moisture on the inside of both LCD screens on my 5Dmk2. I managed to fog out both lenses I had with me. A towel and all my lens clothes were dripping wet. Despite drying my gear as best as I could, when I got home from the trip I found one of my scroll wheels had rusted from the inside....yes I said rust! Lets just say before I went on this trip I was worried about covering my camera as soon as a few drops would start to come down. After this trip, I am comfortable shooting in conditions that would make most people cringe just being outside. The things we do for a photo...
Jackson - you will love the area. Wet rainy weather is perfect for shooting falls, but you have to overcome your fear of getting wet and just go with it. The area is truly stunning.. here in Colorado I get excited if I see a rocky creek. Over there it is not uncommon to be on a hike and every direction you look there is falls pouring down the canyon walls.
Jack - I post settings on every shot I post on my Flickr, so I don't mind sharing. You can find these below as well. This shot is of Wahclella Falls.
Canon 5D mark II
Canon 24-105L lens @45mm
1.3 sec @ F16
ISO 50
Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer
Hope your camera survives in the long term. That rust would have me worried. Well, at least it wasn't salt water!
Gear seems to be good right now, we will see if there is any long term damage. I applied some lubricant to the rusted wheel and at least it is working better now. In the end though, the gear is made to be used though right?
Including the falls on the right was an inspiring choice...it's interesting in its own right and throws the main falls off center well.
If your camera hasn't dried out by now, a few days around the Moab area will do the trick!