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Cathedral Falls

Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge, WV

Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge, WV
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Sep, 2014

Views

541

Likes

+130

Awards

Action Award

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

2020 Choice Award

Superb Composition

+21

Peer Award

+21

Top Choice

+13

Outstanding Creativity

+10

Absolute Masterpiece

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Emotions

Impressed

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Behind The Lens

Location

This is Cathedral Falls located at 38.15444N 81.1788W. Gauley Bridge, WV is about a mile west of the small roadside park and picnic area that appears to have been transported straight from the past. I have visited this little park many times over the years.

Time

The time was 14:57, 9 September 2014. A little early or late in the day for photos. I was on a road trip with the wife on our anniversary. She wasn't going to hang around a couple of hours for the perfect light.

Lighting

This is the perfect example of when not to take a photo. A cloudless sky and intense sunlight. The saving grace was the small gorge surrounded by trees softening the light. I liked the way the light was much brighter at the top of the falls.

Equipment

The Camera was a Nikon D7100. Shooting handheld in RAW and Manual. The lens was a Tamron 18-270mm f1:3.5-6.3 that I use as a walking around lens. I also use a Black Rapid strap shoulder strap and sliders that keeps the weight of the camera off my neck. The last piece of equipment I use is a Custom SLR M-plate that allows me to use the strap and still have a tripod mount available without removing the strap.

Inspiration

I revisit this spot over and over. I don't always take photos. It brings back memories of stopping here when we traveled to visit relatives. There is a lot of history involved with the little park, not all of them pleasant. One of the alleged victims of the unsolved string of murders from the 1960s was found very near the falls. See the Mad Butcher of WV.

Editing

I adjusted the color temperature to be a little cooler. There was a lot of light being the wrong time of day for photos. Nothing else was adjusted that I can see or remember.

In my camera bag

I am an equipment idiot. I carry lots of lenses and usually use the same one for every photo I take that day. I have a LowePro Pro Runner 350 AW bag. A Ravelli Carbon fiber tripod with a ball head lives in the external holder. I have a Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-4.5 Fisheye that I way overuse. A Tokina 12-24mm f4 wide-angle that is wonderful. A weird tilt-shift lens that is converted to a Nikon mount but started life as a Russian ARAX 80mm f2.8 lens. The 18-270mm Tamron f3.5-6.3 that normally stays on the camera. I also carry a small equipment case in the car with some Gary Wong diffusers a flash and of course three prime lenses. A Nikkor 35mm f1.8, Nikkor 50mm f1.8, and a manual Rokinon 80mm f1.4 that is very inexpensive but produces great images. An equipment idiot I carry way too much stuff. Did I forget to mention a spare body? My original Nikon D90 travels around with me.

Feedback

I like to pick my subject and wait until the conditions become just right. That is not what happened here. I was able to get a reasonable shot. Thanking everyone who liked this photo is a necessity. I need to submit more shots soon.

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Cathedral Falls

Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge, WV

Behind The Lens

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