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I had no way of capturing the entirety of this waterfall without it being too cluttery so I decided to zoom in on a section.
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Image Description
I was on a bike ride in Zion national Park after the snow melts in March. The narrows were closed so I decided to go for a bike ride instead. There was no way to capture the entirety of this waterfall without the image being far too cluttery so I decided to go for a vertical panorama.
Initial Impression: Gorgeous light on the rocks and I love the shapes and textures in the waterfall.
Follow-on: I also love the textures and formations in the rocks which the light brings out very well. I’m not sure about the no-beginning/no-end water, but that is the way water really is in a river.
Question: Did you intend this to be in Abstract rather than Landscape, Joseph? It just looks pretty realistic for what we usually see in the abstract forum. If you would prefer it to be in Landscape we can move it for you.
Striking and mysterious. Is the water falling up or down? Is it a remote canyon in the back of beyond, or just a slice of a tourist attraction with a parking lot full of busses?
Just read your description and I like the stitch idea - a good one that I need to remember more often.
You chose a shutter speed that elevates this to something more airy and playful than what would happen with something slower. There’s a lightness here that makes me want to feel that mist on my face.
The highlights look a bit too pink, IMO, but those red walls can do funny things with light, so it might just be me. Nice shot and a great way to pique your viewer’s curiosity by only giving us that little slice.
I mostly like the offsetting colors between water and cliff. I actually like that the water isn’t pure white. I also like the shutter speed for the water. This is how Ansel liked to shoot water movement. I am not a fan of this long and narrow presentation. I would do a square or close to square aspect ratio on a favorite part of water/cliff structure.
I think this is fabulous!! The colors are beautiful and appropriately controlled, and the texture and shapes in the water are wonderful! I love the vertical format – it fits the falling water so well.
Some years ago I was standing below Bridalveil Fall and the water was doing this lace-curtain thing, and a workshop leader came along with his group and started coaching them to use very long shutter speeds. I was shooting at probably 1/1000th and loved what I got.
Hi Joseph,
wow, that looks fantastic. There are so many beautiful textures, both in the water and in the rock behind it.
I can very well understand why you had to shoot that scene.
The chosen shutter speed is perfect. You have frozen the movement of the water beautifully.
If I had to change anything about the image, it would be the white balance. In my opinion, the water has a slight magenta cast. I would try to remove that cast and cool the water down slightly. That would add to the contrast between the water and the rock behind it.
Joseph, my first impression is: a beautiful intimate landscape perfect in neatess, sharpeness end light in the falling water that is not easy to center in the fall especially with lights and shades. For me the composition could be improved now so linear and static similar to a graphic picture.
I really appreciate your input! The pink cast is probably from my color grading I add a little bit of magenta to the highlights I probably went a little too heavy on that. Thank you very much for your thoughtful input!
Thank you so much! The magenta cast is definitely on me as a part of my general color grading. I’ll give a look in the Lightroom and when I get back home and remove the magenta cast, to see how it looks! I really appreciate your input!
Joseph, this is a beautiful image! The vertical format and aspect ratio both help to emphasize the extraordinary drama of the water flowing in front of the equally dramatic red rock wall. I see the slight magenta color cast. To me it’s optional to deal with that. Is it possibly the edges of the water flow, which thins out and allows the rock to show through?
Great job isolating the waterfall against the beautiful rock and details. I agree with the other comments regarding the shutter speed; for this particular type of water image, the falling water here shows well when we can see the details and the patterns within the flow. Excellent job!
I would also agree about the WB in the water. That’s the first thing that caught my attention was the slight color cast. It’s not a huge thing, but noticeable enough to comment.
Otherwise, I’ve got no nitpicks or suggestions otherwise. I like the framing, format, and the balance and interactin between the falls and the rock.
A lovely dramatic rendering. The vertical composition emphasizes its length, but I probably would have taken a pano to include some of that wonderful textured red rock
