A month or so ago, I posted an image of a frozen bit of Steelhead Falls. I didn't have much success that day in general (sun rose over a ridge, contrast got beyond 9 stops), but here are a couple that keep me excited about going back earlier in the day (before the sun tops the ridge) and later in the day, when I can shoot the falls with the sun at my back.
Again, not great composition and problematic light, but this is the kind of location I get obsessed with (as discussed at the January meet up) and I plan to head back to this one Pres. Day weekend.
And here is one made from three blended exposures in photomatix. There were a ton of water droplets from the downwind spray by the time I got to the other end of my bracketed sequence, so I cloned as many of those out as I could.
Posted by wade pettitt on February 3, 2012 at 8:51 PM
Yes, great looking spot. Love the perspective in shot #2.
Posted by Craig Strand on February 5, 2012 at 12:11 PM
This look like a very inviting spot with tons of possibilities. Personally I'm not convinced on the lighting of these two images. The first with the sun at 10 oclock and the second at 11. I would love to see both shot in the evening with the light highlighting the falls and cliff sides. Just my opinion.
Craig: Yes on the lighting issues. I had a few with the sun out of frame, but than I was shooting across or down the falls. Got one interesting shot with a rainbow (see attached) but I like to do a 180 on that since the Falls don't show well from that angle.
In my partial defense, I had never been there before, and it took longer to get there than I thought. By the time I got to the falls, the sun had topped the ridge, and I was left to compensate for it in post-processing (and we know how that goes!!) I'm looking forward to an afternoon (Winter) or evening (summer) visit as well as an earlier morning shot.
Posted by Rick Lamb on February 16, 2012 at 2:07 PM
Where is this? And nice shots that make me want to visit this location!!
It's Steelhead Falls, in the Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area outside of Terrebonne (north of Redmond and South of Madras) in Central Oregon. It's a bit tricky to find because it's deep into the back end of the Crooked River Ranch subdivision where it butts up against the proposed wilderness, but once you get there, it's an easy 1/2 mile hike from the trailhead to the falls. I hope to go back Saturday afternoon while I'm in Prineville. Hopefully it will either be a bit cloudy and have more even light or late afternoon for light on the Falls from behind me. I believe William Sullivan's Central Oregon Hikes book has this one.
Discussion
7 repliesAgain, not great composition and problematic light, but this is the kind of location I get obsessed with (as discussed at the January meet up) and I plan to head back to this one Pres. Day weekend.
Craig: Yes on the lighting issues. I had a few with the sun out of frame, but than I was shooting across or down the falls. Got one interesting shot with a rainbow (see attached) but I like to do a 180 on that since the Falls don't show well from that angle.
In my partial defense, I had never been there before, and it took longer to get there than I thought. By the time I got to the falls, the sun had topped the ridge, and I was left to compensate for it in post-processing (and we know how that goes!!) I'm looking forward to an afternoon (Winter) or evening (summer) visit as well as an earlier morning shot.