With the river so low, I could walk out on the rocks that make up the third cascade at Breakwater Falls and shoot up at the second. There was lots of dry ledge to walk on and so I set up the tripod here - low enough to have a dramatic effect, but not so low to splash the lens like crazy. With more flow, this view is impossible so I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to get it. Luckily I did this before a gate in the dam opened and let out a bunch of water because I would have been in trouble!
I shot this same waterfall a couple years ago from the other side, but this was better even though there are no trails and you have to walk on the riverbed if you want to do it the easy way. Of course, the sirens blew and a ton of water was let out of the dam just as I needed to head back. That meant some bushwhacking through the woods a bit because the water was just too strong and dangerous to go back the way I’d come. I have a video I took on the phone that shows how much more was present. I’ll post that if I can.
Specific Feedback Requested
Open to ideas for improvement. I have a few slightly different angles, but this seemed the best of the bunch. Contrast look ok?
Technical Details
Tripod & CPL
Lightroom for most all processing - a bit of exposure and shadow boost, but I hope not too much. Texture and a bit of clarity, sharpening, lens correction and some work in the Calibration panel to massage the colors to be more in line with how they looked. Didn’t have to touch WB or HSL panel. Masking to emphasize the drama in the water - I think I used a brush with Dehaze.
Photoshop to remove the sign that tells you to run if you hear the siren. Also some work with luminosity and color masks to massage things a bit.
You can see the cascade on the far right just under that bright bit of a branch at the halfway mark in the background. I walked out on those flat rocks and got down a little lower on some you can’t see from this angle. The Pine river is a wonder.
Hi Kristen. Got a good laugh out of photoshopping out the siren sign. I really like the composition of this shot. The different areas of the water just lead you so well to that back cascade.
Oh that sign! Actually there are three of them. If it sounds, they’re letting water out so move your butt. Important to have, but it was the reason I decided to finally learn Photoshop. Seriously. This is a look at me setting up another shot and trying like mad not to get much (or any) of it in the shot.
People actually canoe this river and so if they’re trying to portage around this one and only dam on it, those signs are pretty critical. As they are to crazy people with tripods!
Terrific Composition, Kris. I like how the foreground drives the eye back to the far fall. The hint of fall color in the distance is cool too. My only recommendation would be to either darken or remove that tiny foamy water spot in the lower right corner. It keeps pulling my eye away from the scene.
Beautiful autumn landscape! Nicely balanced between the river/cascades and the rest of the landscape; including the river rock and autumn foliage. Great color, processing throughout.
Thank you also for the back story and information on the location. I have to imagine, sadly, there there have been those who unfortunately didn’t heed the warnings? That sign appears to be quite large and obvious and can only imagine how loud the siren is to be heard above a noisy river. Anyway, sounds somewhat like the dangers and risks involved with the slot canyons in AZ!.
Anyway… beautiful image. The only observation I have - and I say observation cause I don’t think this is a nitpick… You didn’t mention, but wondering if there was a polarizer used (I’m thinking no). This is subtle and probably not worth mentioning. In the river, the right half has a brigheter reflective component to it; and leading down to the main falls in the LR seems a little brighter than the left side channel. On the left, there is no bright reflection on the surface and so appears somewhat darker. ie. kinda like the diference between a polarized and unpolarized water in the same scene. I’m not sure if this makes any sense - and honestly, this isn’t a bother at all, just an observation.
Beautiful scene, captured and presented beautifully.
Thanks @Lon_Overacker - yeah the siren is loud enough to be heard when you’re right on the water. And it goes for several minutes and intervals. I don’t know how much time you get to move out of the way, but it isn’t instantaneous.
I did use a polarizer and noted it above (Tripod & CPL), but I don’t believe I had it turned all the way on. Sometimes that makes rocks and water overly dull in my opinion and so I will back it off in order to have some difference in luminosity for certain things. Does that make sense? So the difference in reflection could be a result of that and/or the overhang of the trees on the left. There is nothing directly above the water on the right except the sky.
Yes, makes complete sense. Also, angles are important in the equation. As you know maximum effect when 90deg from the source of the light; and so there’s a slight change in angle from edge to edge. Plus as you mentioned one half has sky overhead and the other half more tree cover. Like I said, just an observation - I think you managed all aspects of the light very well.
Thanks for the further details on the siren and notification.
Since the ‘effect of the polarizer’ forms a straight line that also separates the shadowed woods from the sunnier woods I would suggest that the difference is not due to the polarizer but the reflection of the two different areas of light. I have seen this often in my images and look out for it when composing an image. It’s not an issue here because you have whitewater within the dark area to break it up.
I think the foreground pine needles add much to the image (because they contrast so well with the darker rocks).
Yes, the and/or possibility is there given the conditions. Glad you like the needle detail. Not as cliched as a leaf I think, but fallish still. In other shots I noticed some green like just under the water surface here and I think plants tend to hang on in places they normally can’t because of the great variation in water depth and pressure here. It’s an interesting place I plan visiting again.
