Avalanche!

[FrankMi]

While I was working in New Hampshire, I go to visit Avalanche Falls in the Flume Gorge of Franconia Notch. It was a dull day and the water level was quite low but there is still some excitement left in the falls 45' drop. One photographer referred to this as a horsetail waterfall though I'm not sure why.

Because you can't backup from the narrow walkway vantage point, this had to be a vertical panorama to take it all in.

I can't believe how rusty my PP skills have become as I wasn't able to do photography for about three months. I may need to come back to this one after I've done a few more as I'm not really happy with the results.

However, now that I'm back home, I'm hoping to get into the swing of things soon!



Given that I've likely forgotten some of the finer points of PP, any suggestions for improvement would be appreciated!

[Mike Buckley]

Great composition!

You mentioned the dull day and I took your comment to mean that that characteristic is a challenge. Just the opposite, diffuse light created by clouds is ideal in my mind for photographing waterfalls.

My experience of making photos of white water is to ensure that there are no clipped highlights in the water and to ensure that the post-processing introduces mostly grey tones. Consider using that approach with this image. Having said that, I have nine photos of Avalanche Falls and only one detail of them comes close to being as nice as yours; making excellent photos of a waterfall requires ideal light and great execution and my photos demonstrate neither.

[dje]

Well it's a nice image as it is Frank, despite the dull light you mention. Shutter speed is just right for the water IMO.

My only PP suggestion would be minor adjustment of Nik Filters "Detail Extractor" and "Brilliance/Warmth" or their equivalents in Topaz.

Dave

[GEORDIE]

Hi Frank,
Great shot, I too think the shutter speed is on the money.
Cheers Colin.

[Donald]

When you pause to think why this picture would make you stop and look at it, it's the vibrancy and clarity that did it for me.

You may be rusty, Frank, but there's still enough in the memory bank to produce quality images. So, it's just a slight service that's needed rather than a major overhaul.

[IzzieK]

+1 on Donald's comment...Welcome back Frank...how long are you staying home this time around? Anyway, great shot. I like the treatment of the water in the waterfall...not silky at all. This is my kind of shot. For a 45' drop, how many frames did it take to shoot this? I would have done a vertical panorama...just my thought...

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[FootLoose]

I think you have found the ideal shutter speed for falling water, Frank. I find the middle section particularly attractive.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Frank, I'm glad that you are back Very nice image indeed. A little increase in saturation of yellows and reds might bring out some colors better on the rocks and on the ground. I would also add some clarity and may be a bit of levels and curves adjustments for a more contrasty look. But these suggestions are to my taste because I would like to see a livelier look and editing such an image actually depends on your taste rather than mine

[FrankMi]

Great composition!

You mentioned the dull day and I took your comment to mean that that characteristic is a challenge. Just the opposite, diffuse light created by clouds is ideal in my mind for photographing waterfalls.

My experience of making photos of white water is to ensure that there are no clipped highlights in the water and to ensure that the post-processing introduces mostly grey tones. Consider using that approach with this image. Having said that, I have nine photos of Avalanche Falls and only one detail of them comes close to being as nice as yours; making excellent photos of a waterfall requires ideal light and great execution and my photos demonstrate neither.

I appreciate you insight and I can certainly use the refresher Mike!

You are correct, of course, about overcast light and waterfalls. I guess I was taking that for granted while being frustrated about not being able to bring out better rendition of the surrounding foliage.

My frustration come from the fact that I only had a few opportunities to get out and shoot while I was in New Hampshire and almost every day was overcast, often with fog/mist.

[FrankMi]

Well it's a nice image as it is Frank, despite the dull light you mention. Shutter speed is just right for the water IMO.

My only PP suggestion would be minor adjustment of Nik Filters "Detail Extractor" and "Brilliance/Warmth" or their equivalents in Topaz.

Dave

I'm glad you like the image Dave. Although I didn't use as much finesse in doing so as I should have, I did actually use Topaz Labs Brilliant Warm but at a fairly low blend with the original. I should go back and spend some more time with this one to increase the Brilliant Warm, but mask out the water so that only the surrounding background is affected. Thanks for the tip!

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank,
Great shot, I too think the shutter speed is on the money.
Cheers Colin.

Thank you Colin! All may not be quite as it seems though.

A couple of years ago I developed a technique for reducing the 'plastic' look of water when a low shutter speed is used to accentuate the water flow. In this case, I selectively blended just some of the flow from two identical images. The only difference in the images was the shutter speed used to capture the fast flowing water in one without completely loosing all sense of detail in the other. As a result (more like you would see with your own eyes while you are there), you can sense the blur of the fast water without loosing the slower water droplets in the same image.

[FrankMi]

When you pause to think why this picture would make you stop and look at it, it's the vibrancy and clarity that did it for me.

You may be rusty, Frank, but there's still enough in the memory bank to produce quality images. So, it's just a slight service that's needed rather than a major overhaul.

LOL! You very likely are right, Donald. Either way, I can't wait to get back to feeling like I 'think' I know what I'm doing!

[FrankMi]

+1 on Donald's comment...Welcome back Frank...how long are you staying home this time around? Anyway, great shot. I like the treatment of the water in the waterfall...not silky at all. This is my kind of shot. For a 45' drop, how many frames did it take to shoot this? I would have done a vertical panorama...just my thought...

Hi Izzie! Great to be back after three months. Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

A vertical panorama? I love the way you think Izzie! Given the height and not wanting to have an image that is overly skinny, I shot 5 images in landscape mode, 10 when you count the second set at a faster shutter speed for the water blending.

I wanted the detail so I didn't shoot too wide an angle. Because of the extreme up and down angles needed to get it all from top to bottom, the blended and stitched vertical panorama takes on a significant hourglass shape.

The hourglass shape after stitching the images into a panorama and before the clean-up post processing...



By using landscape mode, the middle of the hourglass was wide enough to retain a reasonable width to the final image.

[FrankMi]

Nicely done.

I think you have found the ideal shutter speed for falling water, Frank. I find the middle section particularly attractive.

Your comments are very much appreciated John and Greg!

[FrankMi]

Hi Frank, I'm glad that you are back Very nice image indeed. A little increase in saturation of yellows and reds might bring out some colors better on the rocks and on the ground. I would also add some clarity and may be a bit of levels and curves adjustments for a more contrasty look. But these suggestions are to my taste because I would like to see a livelier look and editing such an image actually depends on your taste rather than mine

Hi Binnur! We think alike when it comes to saturation in this image. The overcast sky left me feeing that the overall scene was just a bit on the flat side. Not too much, but perhaps a little bit of a 'kick' would help? I'll play with it (after I let it grow on my for a while) to see if I can find a pleasing compromise for my taste. Thank you for the feedback and your thoughts!

[IzzieK]

Have you tried comparing the vertical pano with the horizontal one? I think with the vertical pano, everything seems to stitch better...just my opinion...one more question: did you a tripod with this one?

Hi Izzie! Great to be back after three months. Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

A vertical panorama? I love the way you think Izzie! Given the height and not wanting to have an image that is overly skinny, I shot 5 images in landscape mode, 10 when you count the second set at a faster shutter speed for the water blending.

I wanted the detail so I didn't shoot too wide an angle. Because of the extreme up and down angles needed to get it all from top to bottom, the blended and stitched vertical panorama takes on a significant hourglass shape.

The hourglass shape after stitching the images into a panorama and before the clean-up post processing...



By using landscape mode, the middle of the hourglass was wide enough to retain a reasonable width to the final image.

[FrankMi]

Have you tried comparing the vertical pano with the horizontal one? I think with the vertical pano, everything seems to stitch better...just my opinion...one more question: did you a tripod with this one?

With most of the horizontal panoramas I have shot, the subject is quite a distance away so the parallax is usually not much of a problem. In this case I was on a very narrow walkway that was quite close to the falls so the up and down angles needed to get all 5 images were quite significant. You can see the same hourglass effect in a horizontal panorama if the subject is closer.

Although I had my tripod, the walkway wasn't wide enough to set it up, particularly with the volume of tourists trying to get by me as I captured the images.

This capture, slightly downstream of Avalanche Falls, may give you an idea of the topography.

[John 2]

That's nicely done Frank. Don't know why you're doubting it.

[FrankMi]

That's nicely done Frank. Don't know why you're doubting it.

Hi John, perhaps it is not so much doubt as feeling that I should be able to do better. I've just got to find out if I can. In any case, I very much appreciate your encouragement!