Rework:
I’ve been to this waterfall maybe a hundred times (I’m a NC native) but never as a photographer. I took this when we visited Asheville in 2023. It’s always been one of my favorite waterfalls because it’s so easily accessible and gorgeous.
The first time I’ve really taken waterfall shots was on this trip, so any feedback appreciated.
Fuji X-H2S, 3s, f/20, ISO 640, 16mm, tripod
The waterfall is shot beautifully. I love the smoothness of the water and its placement near the greenery and the brown dirt. The only thing that bothered me a little is the brightness of the right wall. It felt like there is another waterfall there but unless I am missing it I don’t think there is one. So this wall keeps drawing my eye away from the beautiful waterfall. So I think if you crop the picture taking out that wall it will be a stronger image. But it is a dreamy waterfall picture.
Debbie: Considering your settings the light must have been fairly dim which also speaks to the stillness of the air since I don’t see any motion blur in the foliage. If you are looking for the silky look and depending on the force of the flow you probably only need a .3-.5 second SS. That would let you use a lower ISO. I don’t think this scene needed f20 to get acceptable sharpness so lowering the ISO is an effective way of lowering the SS along with it. This still turned out fairly well and this is certainly a place worth returning to under different lighting and flow. >=))>
Thank you @tamar-aharony, I see what you’e saying about the right wall.
@Bill_Fach thanks. I’m new at waterfalls and did not really know what I was doing. When I return there (are there are hundreds of waterfalls in the local area) I’ll have more time to spend working on those shots.
This is a beautiful waterfall! I think the detail in the water itself is great; I like the strong vertical lines accentuated by the water flowing over the horizontal and diagonal seams in the rock. The controlled order of the waterfall is a nice contrast to the rocks in the foreground and plants around it.
I agree with @tamar-aharony , a tighter crop would make this a stronger image. I’d keep the greenery on the upper right hand side, but crop out the brighter rock face to the right. The only other thing I noticed is it looks like there are some very out of focus leaves right at the top of the falls, some green blurs of color that pull the eye away a little. I didn’t notice this at first since it blends into the darkness of the rock, but now that I know it’s there my eyes keep wandering back to it.
I really like that the lower left corner of the waterfall is partly obscured by the large rock in the foreground, I think it adds a nice element of intrigue and pulls me into the picture a little more than if I saw the waterfall in its entirety.
This is a great shot and very well done for not having experience with this subject matter.
Debbie, I think you’ve framed this falls very well. I have no problem with the lighter wall of rock on the right, although you might process it for more contrast. I see some oof green in the top middle and wonder if you had overhanging up there. If so, my suggestion would be to move a bit closer or squat down so they aren’t in the frame. The sky in the upper left tells me it was overcast, which is good for seeing all of the details surrounding the falls. If you go back when the sun is shining, you’ll want to consider where the sunlight hits.
@eric18 and @Mark_Seaver Thank you for the comments! I didn’t notice the OOF green at the top, I’ll see if I got any other shots without it and will do a rework based on all these recommendations.
Added a rework from a different angle, removing the blurry foliage at the top.
