Waterfalls - Lake Superior area

[Manfred M]

There are a number of magnificent, well known water falls that are located near Lake Superior. I thought I would try to photograph and post some of them.


1. Magpie High Falls - Wawa, Canada - This set of falls has a drop of around 20m / 75ft. The shot was taken shortly before sunset ("golden hour") and the light was not really working for me. I usually follow Robert Capa's advice and try to get closer, but this time I stepped back a bit and got an image that I liked.






2. Aguasablon Falls and Gorge - Terrace Bay, Canada - This waterfall is 30m / 98 ft high and drops through some of the oldest rocks on the planet (these are 2.5 billion years old) and empties into Lake Superior (which can just be seen at the top of the image). This is a mid-day shot that worked out better than expected.



3. Kakabeka Falls - the 40m / 130ft high falls near Thunder Bay Canada. Two versions; the first one for the ones that dislike silky water using 1/30th sec exposure. A 2-stop soft grad was used to darken the sky and a polarizer was used on the shot to cut the glare.





The second version has silky water; a 30 sec exposure using a 10-stop ND filter.




4. High Falls - Pigeon River - These waterfalls are part of the border between the USA and Canada. The left side is the USA and the right side is Canada.

[IzzieK]

I like both of these shots, Manfred...the first one is really a beautiful place. In the second one, the fall is so strong that I can almost hear the sound of it to here...the mist on the left side helps a lot to emphasize this...

There are a number of magnificent, well known water falls that are located near Lake Superior. I thought I would try to photograph and post some of them.


1. Magpie High Falls - Wawa, Canada - This set of falls has a drop of around 20m / 75ft. The shot was taken shortly before sunset ("golden hour") and the light was not really working for me. I usually follow Robert Capa's advice and try to get closer, but this time I stepped back a bit and got an image that I liked.






2. Aguasablon Falls and Gorge - Terrace Bay, Canada - This waterfall is 30m / 98 ft high and drops through some of the oldest rocks on the planet (these are 2.5 billion years old) and empties into Lake Superior (which can just be seen at the top of the image). This is a mid-day shot that worked out better than expected.

[bnnrcn]

I like both images Manfred. I think #1 is a bit on the blue side but I really like the colors in the image as I'm usually happy with strong colors and some color casts in landscape images. #2 looks imposing

[Manfred M]

Added Kakabeka Falls.

[John 2]

Nice set Manfred. Of the versions of no.3, I prefer the first. I have no strong feelings about silky water rendition. If it looks right it's OK by me but in this case the power of these particular falls comes out more in the first version.

[bnnrcn]

I completely agree with John2 about Kakabeka Falls. The power of the falls is seen and felt much better with a faster shutter speed

[IzzieK]

You will have anticipated this but I like #3 better than #4...it shows the strong rush of water downwards wherever it is going there...what was that advertisement catch phrase..??? I'VE GOT THE POWER!!! Now this phrase will stay with me all day...

[hgreblo1]

You will have anticipated this but I like #3 better than #4...it shows the strong rush of water downwards wherever it is going there...what was that advertisement catch phrase..??? I'VE GOT THE POWER!!! Now this phrase will stay with me all day...

[Manfred M]

Added Pigeon River High Falls image.

[selig1656]

I too agree as stated above that pic one may have alittle blue tint that detracts from it . I like the series and each pic can stand on it's own merrit , referring to the falls done at two different shutter speeds , each one evokes a different impression .

[Rob Ekins]

Manfred,
I don't shoot landscapes so I normally have a quick look and move on as I genuinely have no interest in the genre and therefore have little to add of value.

This series of shots made me have a second look though and I wondered why.. the conclusion I came to was, none of these were shot ultra wide (Shorter than 24mm) The result is waterfalls in context of the surroundings not images of tiny waterfalls in the back of the scene because the photographer succumbed to the temptation to shoot at 16mm for one reason or another.

So Kudos to you, I hope people have a look at these and think about what they are trying to capture after seeing these images.

[Manfred M]

Manfred,
I don't shoot landscapes so I normally have a quick look and move on as I genuinely have no interest in the genre and therefore have little to add of value.

This series of shots made me have a second look though and I wondered why.. the conclusion I came to was, none of these were shot ultra wide (Shorter than 24mm) The result is waterfalls in context of the surroundings not images of tiny waterfalls in the back of the scene because the photographer succumbed to the temptation to shoot at 16mm for one reason or another.

So Kudos to you, I hope people have a look at these and think about what they are trying to capture after seeing these images.

Thanks Rob - I left the UWA lenses at home, so was not tempted...

That being said, you bring up an interesting point and something I have discussed with other photographers regarding the point you have brought up. Is the waterfall just part of the landscape that needs to be integrated into the scene or is it an entity that needs to be explored as such.

To my simple mind, when I shoot a waterfall, it's all about the waterfall and the landscape is simply the accessory. Like most photographers, I struggle as to how to best represent a waterfall; a noisy, dynamic, three dimensional subject as a static, two-dimension representation. This means I tend to shoot a lot of shots with this subject, with varying shutter speeds, looking for the one that works best for me.