Blackwater Falls State Park, WV.
This is my first ever attempt at exposure blending for water texture. When exposing for the darker areas, the water was one big white blob. But when I was exposing for the water, I had a brain fart and forgot I still needed the same EV for both images. I shoot in Av, so just used the ex comp dial which resulted in a very dark image. Luckily I could still blend the water in.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
Michael, waterfalls are I think a nice subject in photography. There are none in my surrounding . I like this one very much. Also because I just yesterday saw a video on YouTube by Adam Gibbs on exactly the same sort of waterfall and beautiful twirl. Maybe it can help you further .
This blend looks great Mike, and opens up a number of creative choices. You can maintain detail in the land without adding noise by lifting shadows. Clearly this technique makes a huge difference with this image. In terms of composition, I kind of like seeing the falls on a diagonal view like this, i think it adds a sense of depth. I also like that you have things of interest in each of the four corners of the image.
I use this technique a lot, and sometimes blend in water flow from 2 or 3 different exposure brackets. Given the diffuse nature of flowing water, the blends are usually relatively seamless looking. I also use this technique for seascapes, not so much for exposure, but for shutter speed, blending together different looks in the waves and surf.
Mike,
You are going to have to show me how to do the blend for the water as this looks superb. I saw this a little earlier today on your flickr account. The blend looks great and I love the lighting in the scene; particularly on the rhodie center top of the frame. The swirls are flat out gorgeous and compliment the waterfall rather nicely as well as adding two interesting elements to the lower part of the frame. This is being super picky; and I am only mentioning it because everything else is so outstanding; but I would try to tone down the highlights just a touch on the upper far right section of water as it falls over the moss covered rock. Is this the second section of the falls? Beautifully done!
This is beautifully done Michael! Your blend looks good to my eye. One minor nit is that I would prefer a bit more room at the bottom of the frame so that the swirl isn’t cut off, but this is still a beautiful image as is.
