The kids and I took a picnic and a very easy hike up in the Taos Ski Valley to the waterfall just above the grassy ski slopes above The Bavarian. We ate tuna with crackers, fresh tomatoes from the garden and then some M&Ms for good measure Then we played with pictures of the waterfall. How close we could get. What if we slowed down the shutter speed. What if we tried to capture the smallest drops and how could we make it look bigger than it actually was? The waterfall cooperated kindly.
Very nice! What was your shutter speed on the upper shot?
Thanks Jess Van Wickel for the nice comment. I shot it at 1/2 second/ f/22. I was having tripod problems and had to steady the camera on a rock. I think I'm going to go back up there in the evening this week now that I have the tripod fixed and try a very long exposure.
I agree with Jesse! Great shot!
I love waterfalls..they are so peaceful and I think you captured that very well…
Thanks Sheila Zajkowski. The negative (or is it positive?) ions created by the falling water has a very peaceful influence on the body. Then there is the sound, the cool….What a great place!
Great shots! I particularly like the first, where you had the shutter open for a bit longer than the other two.
Nice work! Another good blog post!
I'm going back up there this morning with the fixed tripod. I'll let you know what comes of it.
i know you will! good luck and enjoy, amigo!
well, dammit. I really dont like anything I got either time I went back. I really think I chose the wrong time of day…or just days with too much sun. I shall return!!!!!
Beautiful! Very nice work, Jim.
Thank you Mary Jo!
Bella looks so happy! Beautiful photos. Looks like a lovely day. I am housesitting at a friends house, and there is one of your photos on the wall. Lovely!
OH! THat is very cool! BIG SMILE! Bella loves being outdoors. It was a great day!
Amazing photos Jim – always such a joy to see your beautiful work
Thank you Daniela! And welcome home! On my home page, you can sign up for my email list so that each time I post new photos, you'll get a notification.
Thanks Jim
It feels great to be back!! Will do on the sign up.
These are all pleasant shots. What’s not clear to me is the story you want to tell in each picture. Another way to put it: how do you want the viewer to respond to each image? Waterfall shots — one of my specialties — can tell many different tales: tales of romance, power, geology, fun, mystery, and many more. How you compose and expose each shot should enable it to tell the story YOU want viewers to take away from the image.
If you applied this theory to each of these three specimen shots, what would you say? What would you hope viewers would say? What elements of the shot reinforce your intention, and which either don’t contribute or actually work against it?
I hope you find this exercise helpful, because it can enable you to make the jump from competent to great.
Eric, thank you for the compliment. I think the story I wanted to tell here was…..this guy is having a great time playing with his camera, trying out different shutter speeds and apertures and getting an idea of what all he can do with this waterfall. It was all play time. I agree about the stories they can tell. Waterfalls are very magical places and, naturally, the shot can tell a wide range of stories. I really appreciate you pointing that out and welcome your comments on any and all of my shots!
Great shots, Jim! Besides the beauty, thanks for sharing the joy of learning!
Thanks Steve! next up, bridges!