Chasing Waterfalls

[Ben]

Went for a walk during a break in the weather to a local creek. These are some of the better shots I got, any comments welcome.











It was good getting out and taking a few snaps again even if I did get a little wet.

Ben

[stubbsy]

Ben

These are all good captures. The first one is the best of the bunch because of the great framing of the falling water by the foreground mossy cliff face. Shame the water was so brown. #4 is also damn good (although I'd crop a bit off the RHS). #3 is probably the weakest because the rocks don't grab and retain your interest. Keep up the good work. If you go on safari around Australia next year you'll have some awesome captures based on these and your other work.

[owen]

Yeah some nice photos. Did you use a ND filter? It looks fairly bright there that's all. They all feature some nice water movement, but to me (except for the first one) they're lacking something in the foreground, a mossy rock perhaps, or a rusted old shopping trolley etc

Cheers,
Owen.

[kipper]

Owen, the ND filter isn't going to help him expose correctly. The shutter speed should of been increased a bit so that the waterfall was exposed correctly. The adverse effect this would of had is that the walls of the rock would have been darked. However a bit of diffused light using the SB800 with a diffuser / lightsphere might have worked here. Or even if you could of used a reflector to bounce some light into that spot.

[wendellt]

1, 2 and 4 are stunners but your composition is excellent all the way through
long vertical portrait shots are definately more sexy for waterfalls, looks like you got your fet wet judging from the angle shot on most of them, congrats on your daringness and vision.

[drifter]

Awesome shots ben #1 and #3 are the standouts .

[owen]

Owen, the ND filter isn't going to help him expose correctly. The shutter speed should of been increased a bit so that the waterfall was exposed correctly. The adverse effect this would of had is that the walls of the rock would have been darked. However a bit of diffused light using the SB800 with a diffuser / lightsphere might have worked here. Or even if you could of used a reflector to bounce some light into that spot.

Yeah, what I meant was that they look like they were taken during a bright part of the day, not the actual images being bright. Sorry. So if the day was bright, I'm wondering how he was able to select a slow enough shutter speed to get the fluid movement.

Cheers,
owen.

[BBJ]

I like them all, Ben i am not upto scratch on this sort of photography so as other have said, but still all keepers. Well done i think they are great.

[Ben]

Tanks for all the comments guys.

Peter
It is official we are taking 10-12 months to travel around Australia. I am hoping to find a cheapish laptop and would dearly love a few more lenses but hope to take heaps of shots along the way, even toying with the idea of writing articles and submitting them to magazines etc. The water was really dirty which is a shame but you have to make the most of the situation.

Owen
I don't have a ND filter as yet (may get one for next year) but had a polaroid filter on. It helped eliminate some of the reflections and darkened the scene a little allowing increased shutter times, that is when a remembered to turn it around the right way. I shot at f22 mainly and it was about 2pm at the time but very overcast on the verge of rain. Agree that a little foreground interest would add to some of the photos.

Kipper
I had my SB800 with me but didn't think to get it out of the bag. Will keep this in mind next time.

wendellt
Thanks for you comments, glad you liked some. I get pretty wet all over, lots of sliding over damp, mossy rocks and walking through water. At one stage dropped my camera bag into the water with SB800 inside, luckily no damge done

drifter
Thanks drifter I too like number 1 and 3.

BBJ
They're no motorbikes but it is nice being out in nature, even if the mozzies are trying to carry you away.


Ben

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[Slider]

Great shots ben.

I particularly like #4 with the sheet of water hiding the cave. Very nice.

[Sheetshooter]

Ben,

These are delightful and accomplished with considerable skill - well done. Whilst I do sort of agree that Number 3 lacks inpact I do feel that the situation would have been remedied in facile fashion bu framing tighter at the point of capture or cropping the image in Post.

I doubt that an ND would help you much here. The water is already 'flowing' in your shots and, if anything, I would have tried a couple at SHORTER rather than longer shutter speeds to give some variance to just how much like fairy floss the water looks.

Don't be led astray by incorrect comments of others, also Ben. A Neutral Density filter would nopt alter the contrast of the scene - darkening the rocks and leaving the water white - if the appropriate adjustment of exposure were employed.

With an extended journey in the sights it is important to get all these facts right before you set out to hard to re-visit spots.

A good habit to get into is to keep notes - something little heard of on fora such as these - and review those notes when you look at your pics. The EXIF data can tell you a little bit about what was going on at the time but some notes about just how bright the light was or how overgrown the canopy was provide reference that the camera cannot appreciate.

Cheers, and let's see more,

[radar]

Hi Ben,

good to see some of your photos again, always enjoy them. #1 and #4 are my favourite. Looks like you were out in Glenrock, maybe? I almost went to Glenrock yesterday with all the water flowing, but you were obviously more keen. I settled for a walk with the dogs

Thanks for sharing, and that trip will be amazing next year,

Cheers,

André

[marcotrov]

Great shots ben. #1 and #4 are excellent.

Sheetshooter said:

A good habit to get into is to keep notes - something little heard of on fora such as these - and review those notes when you look at your pics. The EXIF data can tell you a little bit about what was going on at the time but some notes about just how bright the light was or how overgrown the canopy was provide reference that the camera cannot appreciate.

True indeed. For what its worth for experimental photography i do I take with me a small hanheld dictaphone and speak deatils into that. Then listen back while i'm viewing them or transcribe onto paper. Very handy to work out what needs to change.
cheers
marco

[Ben]

Thanks for the advice streetshooter will take it onboard. Up till now photography has been a click and see type of hobby for me but I am now trying to take my time and think through things a little more.

Yeah Andre it was at Glenrock. I'd been there a few times before but you really need t go soon after rain to get any decent flow.

Ben

[mudder]

G'day Ben,
Some lovely images, the first would have to be my pick of the bunch for some interesting points through the image. All nicely exposed, just a smidge of blowout in the first...

[johnd]

Ben, 5 great images. I like them all and think they are all keepers. I don't mind a little bit of blowout in them either. I think if you exposed a bit less to stop the blowouts you're only going to loose too much of your shadow detail. Heeh, they're shots of waterfalls in the Aussie bush, by definition an enormous dynamic range. The polariser has helped in keeping stray reflections away from the rocks etc.

Excellent, like to see more.