Waterfall Picture (OK I'll be the first to dive in)

[ghassert]

Okay, I know that waterfall pictures are a dime a dozen. I took this picture of Nancy Cascades last July. I know the best time to photograph waterfalls is either early morning or late afternoon because of lighting. I happened to take this picture in the late morning. Besides the time of the shot, what else should I have done differently?

The beta: 1/4 sec exposure, ISO 100, f/15, at 36mm.

 

[DougPaul]

I prefer a more natural perspective, which generally requires a more mid-height farther away viewpoint. (There are also special lenses which help somewhat.) IIRC from when I hiked this route, such a viewpoint is not available.

Just my preference.

Doug

 

[Mark Schaefer]

This is an attractive waterfall, and your slow shutter speed produced a nice blur.

This is a picture that is just screaming "polarize me". There are highlights on many wet rocks that the polarizer will turn off. The rocks will then become a darker reddish brown which will accentuate the waterfall. The polarizer will also saturate the green color of the leaves and moss.

There are some bare branches above the waterfall that distract from the waterfall. As much as I like the bit of blue sky in the photo, I think your photo would be enhanced by cropping off just enough at the top to eliminate those bare branches.

I am not upset by the perspective of shooting up. After all this is what a waterfall looks like when you stand at the base. You captured reality. This is also a very bold perspective which I find pleasing. It has an up close and personal feel. If it were possible to reach a perspective halfway up, I would also attempt to get there for the different perspective.

Canon does make several tilt/shift L-series lenses which can be used for perspective control. I own the 24mm and 90mm, and they are very helpful with photographing architecture from street level, restoring converging vertical lines back to parallel. However, they are bulky, expensive, and manual focus only. I don't pack them into the wilderness unless there is a very compelling reason to bring them. I would not bring them for this type of photo.

 

[nartreb]

This is a surprising shot. The "waterblur" technique is often used to convey serenity, so the radically close perspective and highly vertical framing, both of which are quite dramatic, are unexpected. It's rare just to see a good blur on such a sunny day. Good job.
Mark is surely right about the polarizer. The only weakness of this photo is that the bright light causes parts of the rock to less colorful than they could be. If you can, set your ISO even lower, that should help too. You might also consider a marginally tighter crop on the right side, which is where most of the paler-looking rock is.

My only other suggestion is to wonder what would happen if you pushed the perspective to a further extreme, using a wider lens and standing even closer.

Personally, I like the blue sky (with hint of cloud!) more than I dislike the bare branch at left.

 

[ghassert]

Thank You everyone for your comments. I was quite surprised by the positive reviews since I took this photo at the height of day with very bright sunshine. Believe it or not, I did actually use a polarizer with this shot. I'm not sure why it didn't do the job, maybe because I went cheap, as this was the first time using the camera?

My only other suggestion is to wonder what would happen if you pushed the perspective to a further extreme, using a wider lens and standing even closer.

My plan right now is to go back next summer and try some shots with the Canon 10-24mm super wide angle.

Thanks again,

Glenn

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Thank You everyone for your comments. I was quite surprised by the positive reviews since I took this photo at the height of day with very bright sunshine. Believe it or not, I did actually use a polarizer with this shot. I'm not sure why it didn't do the job, maybe because I went cheap, as this was the first time using the camera?

You are correct about harsh midday light. Bright light can totally bleach out the definition in falling or white water, and it can create a range of contrasts that cannot be recorded well in a photo. This scene would be easier to photograph in softer light.

Polarizers can help a photo, but there are limits to what they can do. When I looked at the picture again, it does appear that the leaf color is saturated, hence polarized. It is the glare on the rocks that is still a problem. Perhaps the late morning light was simply too bright on the wet rocks, and beyond the capacity of the polarizer to fully correct.

One possible explanation is that the polarizer may not have been dialed to its maximum affect. As you turn the filter you should be able to see in the viewfinder when the color saturation reaches it maximum and when the most glare is eliminated from the wet rocks.

Another and more likely explanation is your shooting upwards in combination with the overhead sun. The polarizer works best when the direction of light is at a 90 degree angle to your view. It the sun were directly behind you or if you shoot toward the sun, you will only see a minimal or no effect from the polarizer. Generally near high noon with the sun shining fairly straight down, any horizon can be polarized. However, shooting up or down at that time of day will put you into the "minimal effectiveness" range of the polarizer.