Photographing Waterfalls

Someone had once told me tht waterfalls give off negative ions which gives a person feelings of comfort and happiness. As a waterfall enthusiast, I can attest to my feelings of joy when I encounter even the smallest of waterfalls along the trail. So I'm wondering how many of you also feel wonderful when near a waterfall?

But my happy doesn't leave when I leave a waterfall - it lingers with me. Do you think back on the scene with a smile on your face? Do you pull out your camera to photograph the waterfall, hoping to keep it with you just that much longer? I know I do.

Of all my subject files, "Waterfalls" has the most images in it. I have found that I dedicate a lot of time with waterfalls and I'm still working out the process. Approaching each waterfall (even if I've been there a dozen times) anew.

But I have noticed that all I really need when photographing waterfalls is 2 things - Timing and Time.

1. Timing

This can be seasonal, the day or the time of day.

Seasonal - Here in the Pacific Northwest, waterfalls can run with high volume during the spring run-off and during autumn rains. The late summer brings a lesser flow. Winter months bring snow and ice. Each season has its own charm and depending on the effect you want, time your visits for that effect.

The Day - As waterfalls take on different personalities with the seasons, they can take on personalities on different days. A bright sunny day makes a waterfall difficult with harsh highlights and dark shadows, which in turn can make the photographer a grumpy person. An overcast even rainy day smooths out the harsh light and makes for a more relaxed atmosphere for both the waterfall and the photographer. For tips on protecting your gear on the wet days go to this post.

The Time of Day - If you so happen to be out photographing waterfalls on a sunny day, try timing your visit for the early morning or late afternoon. The golden hour is great for more than just beautiful landscapes. The harsh light is reduced during these periods and images can come out glowing.

2. Time

Now all you need is some time. Be patient, wait it out, and keep working the scene.

Sometimes patience is a virtue, like waiting for a long exposure. (Have a sturdy tripod, cable or remote release, neutral density filters and camera protection). Long exposures are ideal for waterfalls to create that beautiful silky water. But it could be several seconds to several minutes to get the image. To help with longer exposures, try moving your ISO to the camera's lowest setting, close down your aperture and add a neutral density filter.

Patience is also needed when the wind is blowing which happens a lot near waterfalls. Windblown branches can create a distracting blur in your images. You might have to make a couple of images when the breeze isn't blowing much to have as little of the motion blur as possible. Also windblown mist can blow onto your lens so you'll need to wipe down the lens between images.

Finally, play with the waterfall. Zoom in to a feature - does it splash off the rocks or trickle over them? Go low and use leading lines of the rapids draw the eye up to the waterfall. Frame it with surrounding vegetation.

And now, go out an have some fun photographing waterfalls.

And the water falls up or Protecting your Gear in wet conditions

This past weekend, I went with friends to the Columbia River Gorge - a world of history, forests and waterfalls. The Gorge, as photographers call it (unlike The Gorge in Eastern Washington that is famous for summer concerts) is a must-do destination for anyone wanting to photograph all types of waterfalls. The most famous and iconic of the gorge waterfalls is Multonomah Falls. But there are other beautiful falls along both sides of the Gorge.

The waterfalls on the Oregon side have easier access, most are right along the old historic Columbia River Highway. The falls on the Washington side require a little bit more driving and hiking. But waterfalls are one of those subjects that inspire and challenge us as photographers. Sometimes that is just worth a little extra effort.

However, my friends and I stayed on the Oregon side of the Gorge, to photograph some of the more accessible waterfalls. Only problem was, our 20% chance of rain for the day turned into 100% chance. Normally, cloudy days are ideal for photographing waterfalls - the soft light helps to diminish blown-out areas in the water and softens shadows. Plus the softer light can aid in a longer shutter speed to create the silky look of waterfalls.

The problem with rainy days is keeping the mechanics of your camera dry. Waterfalls do have the added discomfort of spray. Which goes everywhere. The force of the water falling and hitting the pool below causes a wind which carries the spray onto your lens. So keeping your camera dry on just an overcast day is difficult add to it rain falling down and what you have is an inconvenient mess.

Heading out to a photo session with waterfalls requires that you come prepared to keep yourself and your camera dry. Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest know the value of layers and a good rain coat and pants.

But what do we do with our cameras?

There are several little tricks. A rainsleeve for your camera (that you can buy at any camera store) is probably one of the best ideas I have seen for northwest weather. They cost about $6 to a whopping $50. I have also used ziplock bags and shower caps to help protect the camera body. Another ingenious idea is to clamp an umbrella to your tripod - just be careful on those long exposures, the wind can catch the umbrella and shake the tripod resulting in an unsatisfactory image. Each of these allows for the lens to have a clean view of your subject matter.

Yet with waterfalls spraying water everywhere, what do you do to protect the front of the lens? I generally carry a lens cleaning cloth to wipe down the lens between exposures then immediately cover the lens with a sandwich bag. I will take several of the same exposure and one usually comes out without too much spray on the lens which can easily be cloned out in photoshop.

You just have to be patient, release the shutter between breezes, and ready to take several images of the same exposure and compositions. And this is where your layers and rain gear will come in handy to keep you warm and dry.

Saying Good-Bye

I have always had a hard time saying good-bye.Whenever it was time for a friend to head off into a new direction I would hem & haw, not wanting the warm and comfortable to change into something new and insecure. But time moves on as do friends and what was once an imagined future of trepidation becomes filled with new friends or even old friends made remade. But the sense of loss is there as we say good-bye.

Recently, a need to say good-bye to a friend who had been battling cancer raised again that sense of loss. I had worked with Ruth for several years and would often times seek out her soft and solemn soul. Any tragedy seemed less so as she calmly talked about her life and listened to mine. She always had a warm smile, a kind word and a comforting hug. And she believed in me, more than I believed in myself. She convinced me to present talks of history and photography for the National Park Service (a dream I had since I was a young girl).

When we were told that she doesn't have much time to live, those of us who had worked with her were crushed. The park seemed a little less bright and warm and I wondered what I could do to prove that her belief in my photography and presentations was not un-warranted. But there really isn't anything more I can do than what I have already done. She helped to fortify my foundations and I will continue on from here.

In this time of Thanksgiving, as I sit in the comfort of my family, I will be thankful that Ruth touched my life as she did. That she was able to lead a good life and will leave her friends with contentment in her heart. I know she will always be a part of mine and I will see a little bit of her smile reflected in my images.

Good-bye Ruth, and Thank You.

Taking Advantage of a Beautiful Situation

It's an iconic tourist destination. It is on most people's to-do list when they come to Seattle. During the summer months as relatives visit, they are taken to walk along the Seattle Waterfront with it's restaurants, shops, harbor cruises, views of the Olympics, parks, harbors and convenience to other downtown attractions. No wonder one can get a bit claustrophobic while walking the sidewalks.

But the Seattle waterfront isn't just for tourists. It's also a fabulous place to visit for photographers - any type of photographer. Beginners and professionals can find a myriad of subjects along the waterfront from views of Elliot Bay to the people who walk along the shops.

Stay after sunset when the skies darken and the lights of the city turn brighten, you will find another reason to pull out your camera. The vibrance of Seattle in the day, sparkles at night. The reflection of neon on the ripples in the water helps to create a glittering illusion and an understanding of why this is the Emerald City.

I recently joined a group of photographers for a night-time outing to photograph the Seattle Great Wheel as the wheel gave a special light show. The light show happens during special occasions and some home games of local sports teams. Give them a call to find out when they'll be doing the next one. Even if you aren't photographing the wheel, it's a pretty sight.

So if you're planning on a trip to the waterfront for a light show below re a few tips to help you prepare and get some great images.

1. To get the cool pinwheel effect as in the image above, you will nee to use a slow shutter speed. This image had a shutter speed of 3 seconds. As there was still light in the sky and I wanted the texture in the clouds, I had to adjust my settings. ISO went to 100, f/stop 22 - I then added a neutral density filter to finally get the shutter speed slow enough to blur the lights enough for the effect.

2. Since you will be photographing at a slow shutter speed, you'll need to take precautions to steady your camera. (Although hand held can add an interesting effect, we're focusing on sharp images today.) A sturdy tripod is needed. It doesn't have to be the heaviest or most expensive, but it does need to be tall enough to rise above the fencing in the area (which isn't very tall). One that stands about 4 1/2 to 5 feet should be adequate. Also, you don't want a lot of futzing with your hands on the camera because that will also cause camera shake. Invest in a remote shutter release or cable release.

3. Once you get your camera to the settings you want, all you need to do is hold the remote shutter release or cable release and click away to your heart's content. But even in summer, Seattle nights can get chilly. So while you're photographing away, be sure you have an extra layer, hat and gloves to keep yourself warm.

Next time you're along Seattle's waterfront for the day, plan on staying until the sun has set (sunsets over the Olympics can be quite picturesque) and photograph the Seattle Great Wheel.

Have fun!

The Foggy Days of Autumn

It's been foggy in the Puget Sound area lately. And I love fog combined with autumn color. The cool moist air makes hiking in the woods pleasurable. But are there images to be made in the fog? Of course there are, lots of images.

Fog is like a giant soft box and reduces contrast you would see on a bright sunny day. Which makes a foggy day perfect for photographing images that are better on overcast days; forests, flowers, faces and waterfalls or the 4 F's.

Why does this happen? Fog acts like a giant softbox. Fog disperses light (bounces and filters) reducing hard shadows. But these qualities can also fool your light meter into under-exposing your images - over-expose as you want that bright glowing light.

This diffraction of light helps to emphasize the distance between near and far objects. The image above is an example of this. The closer tree is well defined yet as your eyes move further into the background, the trees become less distinct until they become barely visible shadows of themselves.

On an ordinary day, this scene would be a jumble of trees and shrubs, making it difficult to isolate one tree from the rest. In the fog, the shape of the foreground tree stands out. You know that this is a field of trees because of the subtle shapes behind the front tree. But the limbs do not get lost in the limbs of the other trees - they are isolated and defined.

There are no harsh shadows falling across the field. Harsh shadows combined with bright sun on a bright day would be even more difficult to capture an image of these trees. Your light meter would either want to expose for the bright areas or the dark. You can overcome this harsh environment with multiple exposures and combining the images in Photoshop. Or you can wait for a foggy day.

Photographing in the fog both challenging and fun. So the next time you wake up to a foggy day, grab your camera and have some fun.

Hometown Tourism

Do you know all the "secret" spots of your favorite destination? Do you know the best place to get sunrise? Sunset? When you should head out for the colors of spring or autumn? Where you should go on bright sunny days or dreary wet days?

But then you see an image from someplace in your own backyard and you think, "where is that? I thought I knew everything there is about my home. But I've never seen that."

I do that a lot. There are a few place I know well. So well that I am the "go to" person for my friends, friends of friends, and acquaintances.

But my own back yard? Not so much. Is it because I don't think there are images to be found in the parks and locations closer to home? 

No, not really. 

When I have a day to explore I'm heading out, away, to the far reaches. I just feel as if I've gotten something accomplished if I drive a long distance to hike and photograph.

And so I miss some great places.

I grew up along Highway 2 in Washington. A wonderful road (if you don't mind sitting in a parking lot on a Sunday afternoon as you head back home from a great weekend adventure) of trail heads, waterfalls, rivers and in the fall, colors galore. I've driven over this road so many times in my years in Washington that I should know every turnout, every destination, every sight.

But alas, I do not. I was always heading for another destination - not making the road itself a destination. 

Recently I volunteered to take a group of photographers along Highway 2 for a photo tour, only to realize I was at a loss as to where to stop for the best photo opportunities. Could we have chosen a place I know like the back of my hand?

But then, I thought - why not? It will finally give me a chance to explore an area that I keep saying I'll have to stop there someday. 

Do you ever tell yourself that? "I should stop there someday?" as you drive past a pretty turn out or sweet little park. 

I say make today that someday. Take the time, explore that little corner of your backyard. Become a tourist in your own home. You might never know what you find.

The above image was made at Deception Falls along Highway 2. A turnout (parking lot that's usually closed) that I've been saying for years - I should stop there. I finally did.

Making Visual Sense

Have you ever been presented with a scene that stops you in your tracks? Something in the scene attracted your eyes, but what was it? For after you stopped, you couldn't see what had attracted you in the 1st place.

But you knew something is there. What do you do? Do you continue on your way? Or do you investigate further?

You've undoubtedly heard this before, but I'm going to say it again - sometimes photography is a matter of patience. And this confusing scene in front of you is a perfect example.

Slow down.

Look.

Investigate.

Go back look at the scene again and start to really look at the elements. Bring your camera to your eye to help weed our any distracting elements. Take several images from different viewpoints. Go low, go high, zoom in and out. Use your feet to get closer and look at different angles. Isolate sections of the scene until you find what you like and even what might have originally stopped you.

The above scene was an expansive marsh full of grasses and shrubs that never let the eye rest. I wanted to best capture the scrambled nature of the marsh but was having trouble getting it all in. Plus the day was rather foggy and with any open landscape images the sky was blown out and boring.

I started looking at the marsh through my lens and say this bare shrub - scrambled and messy like the marsh but defined in its craziness. In one small section of the marsh, I found image that would help define the marsh.

So the next time you walk past a scrambled scene and think you see something, stop and look more closely.

Trust your instinctive eye.