Stumped again at Steelhead Falls

I took another stab at Steelhead Falls, waiting until 3:00 or so to get there. Of course, the season has progressed and the sun was still too high in the sky, so, once again, I tried to block it with a tree. I'm hoping third time's a charm: I'll shoot for Memorial Day weekend at 8 p.m.

That is a cool scene.. I really like the viewpoint you have...

Thanks, Ned. I think this is the spot. I would like to shoot it with a better sky and more foreground. Not sure about the whole "tree as frame" routine. What can I say....I was looking for things to block the sun.

Pretty nice scene in general but using the tree to frame it looks like one of those situations where the scene was worth shooting but the tree was unavoidable, if you know what I mean. I don't know how you are about such things but this looks like it would be a good candidate for a composited sky. I've been shooting just skies lately to use as composites.

This is a nice scene and I like the viewpoint (not that I'm trying to quote Ned ). You did a great job of controlling the exposure with the lighting conditions, and the color of the water is great. Too bad you missed the "Golden Hour" again but keep trying. This looks like it could be a winner. With the golden light on the left bank, the opportunity to take a longer exposure and not having to use the tree for shade, this has great promise. If the sky doesn't cooperate you could try Bruce's suggestion.

I like the scene, Marylynne and think you've found a good spot to work with. I think the tree is fine as a compositional element. You didn't say anything about your gear, but did you use any filters-- gnd, nd, polarizer? I'm just wondering about it... A combination of polarizer & gnd. Might be a completely weird, insensible idea, too, I dunno.

I like this a lot Marylynne, as I recall on your previous post the lighting was too harsh which may be a problem when shooting any terrain that is sparse plus your dealing with water. I like the partial sky in this, your POV, composition and personally like the included tree as posted. Overall, IMHO, your best yet and any future attempts might provide minor improvements mostly depending on the time and suns position. Great job!

Thanks, Bruce, Steve, Catherine, and Craig. I think I have nailed the shooting location. I would like a tish more foreground and better light and sky, but now that I'm not hiking all over the place looking for better angles, I think next time will be better. Further away, the falls feel small and the distance eliminates the green hue so visible from above.

Bruce: I have a folder of skies as well, but I'm not very good at replacing skies. I think I need to get better at choosing which sky to use and also blending the edges. I'll probably tinker with that, but when I think about all that's involved, I usually opt for going back on a better day (it's so much more fun to be "out there"!)

Catherine: I did have an gnd on the camera, which helped a bit. I've done double stacking of filters before, and the effect can be a bit unrealistic, but I'm okay with unrealistic, dreamy light in situations when I didn't plan right for natural light. Just as an FYI, this is a blend of several exposures in Photomatix processed to avoid the hdr look but capture dynamic range more effectively.

Craig: Yeah, the terrain is a challenge, and normally I'm pretty good at assessing compass points and location of the sun, but there are several bends in the Deschutes along this section, and I underestimated how much longer the days are at this point (hard to know that in Portland, but it makes a big difference east of the cascades). I'm a compulsive photographer, so I'll look forward to going back for another shot a couple of times. I think summer might bring swimmers and jumpers, so I'm shooting for May when only hardy souls would dare jump and only at high noon.

Just for comparison, I attached a version without the tree and with spot removal tool cloning some blue sky over the white sky.

I like the crop. It is a beautiful spot. You can always do what I do, Sit and enjoy the scenery until the light is right ;) Looking at the direction of the sun, you may need more clouds to reflect the light back down into the river valley if you shoot later in the day.

Yeah, I wanted to stay later, but I was with other people. Sometimes I think my biggest weakness in photography is taking people along (that and bad night vision for driving).

Sometimes I think my biggest weakness in photography is taking people along ...

Now that cracked me up .

I think this looks really good Marylynne, with a slight preference for the second. It shows the falls closer and larger; more powerful looking.

What angle is the sun here? It looks like to me it may be hard to get later light if the sun is cut off by the ridgeline as it sinks. If so, then this may be the best light unless you go for a sunset sky with a totally shaded canyon.

The sun was off to the right. Basically I used the tree to block it as well as I could. The canyon wall drops a little behind and to the right of where I'm standing, and the river bends toward the west. I'm thinking that later in spring, I might get a later evening sun (which would be higher and further north) behind me. If I'm facing 12:00 on the clock face here, I'm hoping to get the sun at 4:30 or 5:30 from behind me (at about 6:00 or so in the evening). I hope that didn't sound too much like "Who's on first." My plan though is to stay through sunset and see what happens. At this point, I know the trail well enough and the drive well enough that, if I take a friend, and if I can keep her warm and patient with food and whiskey, I should be able to get the shot!

This is excellent Marylynne. I prefer the 2nd version. The green tones in the water are beautiful. I would prefer a slightly longer shutter speed, but shutter speeds and water are highly subjective! I'm guessing you would have to use a neutral density filter under these conditions to get a longer shutter speed.