Pulpit Rock

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
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These are the falls and part of the gorge at Pulpit Rock in southern NH. It’s in my hometown, but I only started going to the trails and the brook around 2010. And I didn’t venture down into this part of the brook until 2012. It’s a rather steep and precarious climb down from one angle, but it’s doable and from here you can follow the stream down along the rocks and boulders. It’s an easy place to get to with good parking and easy trails (apart from the gorge). My favorite is the frozen version because it’s so rare to get frozen water without snow. But really, the place is great in all seasons.

May 2012

Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock2000×1333 1.63 MB

November 1, 2012

Kristen_SmithNovember 01, 2012IMG_0001.DNG-20
Kristen_SmithNovember 01, 2012IMG_0001.DNG-202000×1429 1.54 MB

November 31, 2013

Kristen_SmithNovember 30, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-49
Kristen_SmithNovember 30, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-492000×1333 1.62 MB

I’ve comp stomped myself, but honestly there isn’t any other way to shoot these - the brook turns sharply and goes down and out of sight, far below this level. And there are no other big boulders to set up on, so this is it. I love the big bendy yellow birch. I did a B&W version of this that I called 12-bar Blues because I think there are 12 trees visible in the shot. Good times.

Specific Feedback Requested

Have at it as usual.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
The first two -
Olympus E-30 & 12-60mm lens @ 16 & 17mm
f/9 | 4 secs | ISO 100 & f/14 | 13 sec | ISO 100

Tripod & polarizing filter. Possibly NDs as well, but I can’t recall.

The third -
Lumix GH3
Lumix G Vario 12-35mm @ 17mm
f/14 I 4 sec | ISO 200

Lightroom processing for lens correction, tonal control, exposure, sharpness & clarity.

@the.wire.smith
1 Like
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I love these photos! I love the way the boulders zig-zag across and up through the water to the back where you can’t see them anymore! I just want to go hiking up through that forest. I think it makes it so interesting because of the way it bends out of sight it makes me want to explore it! Really nice composition!

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A nice serie of seasonal changes. They are all very good, but I am most drawn to the frozen water.
I downloaded the image and tried a tighter crop to emphasize the frozen part.

Kristen_SmithNovember 30, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-49 copy
Kristen_SmithNovember 30, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-49 copy1087×1137 413 KB

1 Like
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Yes, there’s a lot of comp. similarity between this series and your previous falls series. The falls look good as do the seasonal changes. I especially like the colors in the first two. For a change of pace, compositionally, you could have shot these as verticals.

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Thanks everyone. I’m somewhat of a waterfall chaser so end up visiting my favorites over and over.

I only cropped one vertically because to do so cuts out that gorgeous bendy birch on the right which is something I love about these falls. So that’s an emotional response to the scene that I wanted to keep, but if you’ve not experienced this location first hand, you aren’t attached and therefore come at it from a pure end result perspective which is one of the best benefits of this site.