Return to Paradise

[kdoc856]

Back to my old stomping ground, specifically hoping for a new perspective I'd not used before. Weird sky with an interesting but inconsistent light, 30 deg C, so humid I had to constantly wipe the lense (and my brow). Any comments and suggestions welcome. All shot with Sony a99, Tamron 25-75 2.8, all shots polarized.

1. 2.5sec @ f/14 40mm ISO 100


2. 8.0sec @ f/22 50mm ISO100


3. 25 sec @ f/25 35mm ISO 100


4. 2sec @ f/16 60mm ISO 100

[splashy]

Excellent breathtaking pictures.

[dje]

Hi Kevin

Very nice set of images. They are all good but the first one really stands out for me. It's the composition I think more than anything else but colour and light are also very good.

Dave

[Digital]

Hi Kevin

Pic#1- I tried to imagine what this photo would look like without the tree on the left. I find that my eye wants to go to that tree instead of focusing on the waterfall. On further examination was it your intent to frame the waterfall between the two trees?

Pic#4 - I like this photograph the best of the lot.

Bruce

[kdoc856]

Thanks much, Splashy and Dave. This entire region could serve as a study in shades of green.

Bruce, I was indeed framing the shot with the tree. I've got about half a dozen shots from closer up, and was looking for something different. And I also wanted to be more mindful of using the foreground to add some visual depth to some shots, and I also thought textures of the tree's root structure and the moss on the gorge wall were interesting (albeit a bit busy).

Thanks for viewing and commenting.

[Walshy]

A set of great photos

[John 2]

Four nice shots Kevin but no. 3 stands out for me. Makes me want to find out what's at the top of the rise (but not until the temp. and humidity come down).

[Plumcrak]

Kevin, I like them all and am not going to try to pick a favorite.
The water is flowing much better than it was a couple of weeks ago when I was there.

Well done. I miss that place already.

Cheers

[kdoc856]

Thanks, guys.

Jon, I specifically went down there Monday because of all the rain we've had- I'd not been there when the water tables were particularly high. Although there was obviously more water than when you were there, the flow was not as dramatic as I expected, and I was there within 12 hours of the last rain. I think I'd like to see it during a big rain.

[FootLoose]

Beautiful pictures, Kevin, I love the colours. I like the way you have lined up the tree roots with teh waterfall in the first one. Not sure if the roots lead me into the waterfall of the waterfall leads me to the roots, though.

But the 2nd one is my pick. I like the strong diagonal lines in the rocks and the way the waterfall points in the opposite direction.

[pasusan]

Hi Kevin - what a beautiful set - it really does look like paradise. I am always impressed with the composition and lighting of your images.

Could I get you to talk about your polarizer filter? What did it do for you with these pictures? Did it reduce glare off the leaves, water and rocks? I notice that where the sun hits the leaves they have an actual glow about them. And generally it looks like the sun has a softer appearance than usual. I'm not sure if it was naturally like that or if the polarizer made it look that way... Also - do you have to warm up your images in PP due to the polarizer cooling effect?

I've been looking into getting a polarizer, thinking it will help with bright and blown highlights when I take pictures in harsh mid day sun (seems I hardly ever have that opportunity, but want to be prepared). I've been experimenting with the metering and exposure, but the sun can still look pretty harsh and cause the loss of color and detail.

[AB26]

Hi Kevin,

I need a dog to kick. My mood is foul and I am now going to take it out on you because I know you can take it.

If I see another waterfall with white blurred cotton I am going to get sick. What is it with shooting waterfalls that people cannot get right? Why does the water have to be converted to cotton? Why do everybody think it is cool to shoot a waterfall with that S*#t looking “flowing water” effect?
It is boring.

Great images Kevin, stuffed up by that “cool” look.

Sorry Kevin I just had to get that off my chest.

Ok I’ll go jump in the lake now!

[kdoc856]

Could I get you to talk about your polarizer filter? What did it do for you with these pictures? Did it reduce glare off the leaves, water and rocks? I notice that where the sun hits the leaves they have an actual glow about them. And generally it looks like the sun has a softer appearance than usual. I'm not sure if it was naturally like that or if the polarizer made it look that way... Also - do you have to warm up your images in PP due to the polarizer cooling effect?

I've been looking into getting a polarizer, thinking it will help with bright and blown highlights when I take pictures in harsh mid day sun (seems I hardly ever have that opportunity, but want to be prepared). I've been experimenting with the metering and exposure, but the sun can still look pretty harsh and cause the loss of color and detail.

Hi, Susan. Thanks for your comments , glad you liked them.

I use the polarizer a lot for landscapes. I put it on before the shoot, and it is my default configuration unless I need more light for a proper exposure. I consider it essential for any shots with water in them, and as you point out, it cuts through the reflected luminance from leaves, sky, and even dirt; does marvelous things to reflections off glass. It lends a nice saturation to darker colors (which are often degraded by reflected light).

Having said that, a cheap polarizer is the worst of solutions. They can have minimal beneficial effect, and add weird grayish casts. I learned the hard way, and have a couple of horrible pieces of polarized glass that for some irrational reason I haven't thrown away. In my experience any polarizer that costs less than 150-200 USD is suspect, although I'm not familiar with them all, of course.

[kdoc856]

If I see another waterfall with white blurred cotton I am going to get sick. What is it with shooting waterfalls that people cannot get right? Why does the water have to be converted to cotton? Why do everybody think it is cool to shoot a waterfall with that S*#t looking “flowing water” effect?
It is boring.

Andre, my friend. Peace to you and yours

I understand completely. The fuzzy look is completely cliché, and I've done my own share of disparaging it. BUT... It depends on your audience. Non-photographers just love it, and think it magical. I've read photographers who sell these images and share your feeling, but point out that media directors (for calendars and such) absolutely insist upon it, and will purchase nothing else.

So these are my nod to the "ignorant masses", in hopes of giving them a moment of magic (and hearing nice things about my images)

[AB26]

Thanks Kevin, I knew you would understand. I feel better now.

It breaks my heart to see you doing the cliché thing with that A99. Just look at the exposure and colours it is magic, enough for me to really appreciate those shots.

[pasusan]

Thanks Kevin for your response. I will continue researching.

[Teton Chuck]

Kevin, Thanks for sharing these photos. They are beautiful. I especially like #3. You have captured peacefulness in a photo.

[kdoc856]

Thanks, Chuck

Quite a contrast between your environs and mine, but both beautiful in different ways.

[bedantabd]

Absolutely breathtaking images, Kevin. All of them. Beautifully composed, exposed and processed.

I'm a big sucker for this type of photography. Haven't got a chance to try this as there are not many streams like this around this place (I live in one of the driest places in India). What are the basic gears needed if I want to make attempt to capture something like this??

[kdoc856]

Thanks so much, Bedanta.

Nothing high tech or fancy at all. The tripod is absolutely crucial, of course. Your 18-55 lense will do nicely. A DoF chart for hyperfocal distance may come in handy to get your maximum DoF without using excessively high F stops and making you bump your ISO. I always bracket these shots, usually 3-5 images: there are a lot of shadows and highlights in this kind of setting and a single exposure will rarely do justice to all the potential detail. Most of these are exposure stacked, i.e. HDR without the tone mapping. You can see from the EXIF data on my pics that it doesn't take much shutter time to blur the water and receiving pond.
Hope that helps.

Kevin