Spring Morning at Great Falls
Great Falls National Park on the Potomac River
Great Falls National Park on the Potomac River
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Jun, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Great Falls National Park. I like to visit this location early in the morning, especially after a big storm. I have been working up and down the Potomac River capturing images act all times of the year.Time
This was at dawn with steam rising about the river and the Sun just starting to come into the gorge. This is the best time to visit the park when it is virtually empty of people.Lighting
I wanted to catch the beautiful light at sunrise and use a long exposure to emphasize all of the many currents in the river. I used a neutral density filter to slow the shutter speed. I took a number images as the sun began to rise above the gorge waiting to get the best light.Equipment
The image was taken with a Nikon D800 and a 24-70 mm lens with a neutral density filter on a tripod.Inspiration
Visiting Great Falls is an awesome experience. The enormous volume of water that comes over the falls where the gorge narrows and drops rapidly. I have visited this place dozens of times hoping to get the right combination of water coming over the falls and good light. This day, along with the steam gave exceptional conditions.Editing
Minimal post processing other then conversion from RAW to JPEG.In my camera bag
Normally I carry the Nikon D800, 24-70 mm lens, 16-24 mm lens and a 300 mm lens. The latter is to capture the wide variety of water fowl that is found on the river. I also carry a few filters, but at the river tend to like using the neutral density filter.Feedback
Go early and often. This is one of dozens of images that I have taken near the falls. Getting the right light, amount of water takes patience. The reason that I was there that particular day was the a few days earlier I had driven over the river and noticed the steam and felt that it would be a good feature of the image I was trying to get. My best images are the result of multiple trips and multiple images to get exactly what I am looking for.
