Iceland: Godafoss (wide waterfall)

[Mike Buckley]

Godafoss (foss in Icelandic means waterfall; the complete translation is "Waterfall of the Gods")

The first image was captured by my wife. I post-processed all of the images.

C&C encouraged, as always.

[Donald]

The first image was captured by my wife.

I was about to write, "The first one is the pick of the bunch", ...............!

I do think it is a very strong composition and is well captured.

the second one doesn't really work for me as it does not provide a reference point/context.

The third one is also, I think, a beauty. It wonderfully captures the power and energy of the place. I think it does that better than the first one because we have the feeling of being up closer and looking right into the falls as opposed to seeing them (in #1) as part of the landscape in which they sit. Because of the angle on #3, even though we can see landscape (in fact we see more landscape that we do in #1), we are very much being told to look down into the waterfall. Great camera-work.

[AB26]

The first one does it for me. The perspective I get with people included in the capture.
Great shots.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, guys!

Both of you agree with me about the first one being the best. My wife, who has far less experience than me and has far less command of her camera, always comes back with the best shot. I don't even know how she got that angle, as I was busy climbing up on large rocks at the edge of the river trying to find the "perfect" angle that I was sure could not be obtained from where she was walking around. Gotta love it!

[Sergio M.]

I like them all. I also like how they work as a series. The first one of the entire falls, then a close up of the one on the right and finally another angle and perspective of the falls.

Great work Mr. and Mrs. Buckley.

Serge

[Teton Chuck]

Mike, These photos make me want to go to Iceland. Looks like beautiful country.

The first and third are the most appealing to me. I agree with Donald that the second one lacks a reference point. My favorite is the first one. The rocks in the foreground (water) anchor the shot. From there my eye moves counter clockwise around the photo. The background (upper part of the shot) is soft and gives a feeling for the place without being a distraction. I like the way the light on the hills blends with the vegetation around the falls and fades away into the distance. I normally try to avoid having people or human made objects in my landscapes, but in the case of the first photo I think the people are a good addition. They help to move the eye to explore what is there.


In the third shot one does feel the power of the place. However my eye is drawn to the center, narrow waterfall, and tends to stay there. This shot does not capture the essence of the vegetation at the edge of the falls like the first one, and beyond that there is little or no definition of what is there. And finally, a bright sky, compared to the middle third of the photo, is the other place that draws my eye. I find the sky to be a distraction from the falls.


Thank you for posting these photos. Having the set to examine helped me think about the characteristics that make them so different. A good learning experience for me.

Cheers, Chuck

[terrib]

What a beautiful place! I really like the third picture. I have the feeling of being inside the falls. Although I agree with Chuck that it doesn't capture the essence of the vegetation like the first one, I really like the addition of the sky as I don't have the feeling that something's been cut off. I don't find the sky a distraction but I think it makes me explore the whole image, but then again I'm partial to sky and fluffy clouds.

You and your wife have certainly traveled to some beautiful places and I'm glad we get to see your images of them. Thanks for sharing!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks everyone!

Now that you mention it, I see the issue pertaining to the brightness in the middle of the sky in the third one. I'll be sure to tone that down a bit.

It's interesting that the primary criticism of the second one is the lack of reference point. That's exactly what I like about it. It's just a rush of water with all of the action completely stopped. For me, all of that conveys a sense of powerful water flow.

[Bobobird]

Lovely shots. Thanks for sharing.

[Teton Chuck]

Mike, for decades I have climbed mountains in North America. Some were easy, some much more difficult and dangerous. But the thing they have in common is the fact that when I look at them from the lowlands after reaching the summit, the feeling I have about them is totally different than before I was there. You were at the waterfall. I was not. You felt the power, experienced the spray and the roar of the place. You were "on the summit", and the photo of the place is meaningful to you in a way that I cannot understand without going there.

I have many photos that bring back memories, feelings and sometimes even remind me of the odors that made it special. I doubt that any of them would excite the members of this community, but they touch my soul. I suspect you understand this very well.

Cheers, Chuck

[Mike Buckley]

You're right, Chuck, that I do understand the stuff that you mentioned very well, though I doubt that I would be able to articulate it as well as you. On the other hand, I don't remember a photo ever reminding me of odors. Oh, now I remember why: I have a terrible nose.

For me, the main issue is that I've seen images made by others -- the point being that I wasn't there at the time -- that are tight shots of rushing water with no reference point. I've always been moved by the power of the rushing water portrayed in those images. Perhaps my image doesn't convey that power as well as other images I've seen. Perhaps I and the photographers who took those images simply have a different sensibility about them. In either case, all is well.

[Manfred M]

Nice shots Mike. They bring back some nice memories. Your wife sounds a bit like mine; I'm busily shooting away and the next thing I know she has wandered off to some weird location and is shooting away getting some great shots.

Just for the record; Godafoss means "God Falls" in Icelandic, and that is where the Law Speaker hurled the statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall, and Iceland became a Christian country in 1000AD.

[Mike Buckley]

These were shot before my camera broke, Manfred.

[AB26]

Mike I think we sometimes get too technical in making the shot and lose sight of the beauty in the viewfinder. Along comes a complete novice and in the viewfinder they see a simple beautiful scene and press the shutter button and, whala what a shot.
We get too focused on composition, lighting, “rule” of thirds, lines, contrast, dynamic range, etc. and miss the beauty in the viewfinder looking for the “right” angle. My wife shoots with a Panasonic P&S and then brags that some of her shots are better shots than I have made with my fancy camera, and she sometimes does. Not that I always want to admit it, but it is true.
Maybe we also need to go back to basics!
At least, if the wife shares our passion with us, we stay out of trouble. We need to appreciate their input, it should only encourage us to do better.

[Coinneachmhor]

Hi Mike,

Like Serge, I like all of these and feel they work well as a series. The middle one for me captures the power of the water and the rock in the image provides me with sufficient reference to convey the power. The third one really does draw me in and and then make me step back and review. If I was going to use them in a series I would resize the close ups smaller to emphasise their part in the the story.

That said I really enjoy these images

[Mike Buckley]

I understand your point, Andre, about the so-called experienced photographers focusing on the details of photography and perhaps not getting the great shots a novice gets. On the other hand, my wife's photography has improved exponentially now that she understands the importance of a photograph telling a story, providing a subject that is immediately obvious and the like.

Kenny, the thought never occurred to me to present some images smaller than others here in the forum. We would do that intentionally when hanging prints on walls, so it might be reasonable to do so here as well. Great idea that I may try! Thanks for your other comments too!