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Oct, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The picture was taken at Gorforth Creek in the Cherokee National Forest in Polk county, TN. It's one of the local tourist and local photo op small waterfalls that's easy to access in the area.Time
This was taken in the late afternoon on a cloudy day in the middle of fall. Was waiting for more rain showers to see if the waterfall area coming off the mountain would get bigger but the showers ended up being less than forecasted.Lighting
This was actually one of my first times learning how to shoot long exposures of waterfalls. I used a ND filter and just what lighting that I had from natural lighting thru the clouds.Equipment
The camera I was using at the time was a Nikon D3000, using the kit lens that came with it 18-35mm, a tripod was used can't remember the name brand of it. The ND filter that was used is a tiffen not sure which one it was that I used though for this particular shot being it was taken back in 2014.Inspiration
Always liked the whiteout within waterfall pictures I see and wanted to see how and if I was able to take one of my own. This location when I lived nearby is one I would always drive by to and from work so it was a reminder of seeing it being I no longer live in that area. My mother has done photography for as long as I could remember and I would play around with it from time to time and she kinda helped me figure out how to setup the picture and told me to make sure to have a tripod otherwise she would like to see what I was able to come up with.Editing
Post processing of the picture was possibly a slight contrast and clarity adjustment being I tend to not mess around much at all with post processing with the pictures I take. I have as of lately play around more and do a little bit more but back in 2014 I really didn't do much at all post wise at all. These years I tend to play around some with some of my pictures being I have gotten into a wider range of subject matters. Where back when I first started it was mainly landscapes and aircraft normal daytime pictures to night time, infrared filtered, lightning, and now aerial photography added into the mix.In my camera bag
Now days I have both Nikon cameras the D3000 and the D7200 that I recently got in 2018. A Monfrotto Element big tripod, Pluto trigger, sigma 18-35mm art lens, 70-210 nikkor zoom lens, 18-35mm nikon kit lens, 70-300mm nikon kit lens, lenscoat raincoat, of course extra batteries, sd cards, trusty led flashlight, ND filters, 3inch crystal ball, and recently bought a Dji mavic air 2 which comes along as well in its own case these days.Feedback
One bit of advice I can pass on because well its true that my mom gave me. Take a lot of pictures of what you are really wanting to take a picture of because you never know what minor flaw you may not see with the one or two shots until you see it on the computer screen. So it's always best to take more. Honestly she's right though these days unlike before with the size of cards there really shouldn't be a reason other than maybe time you have as to why not take a decent number of shots of the subject you're taking a picture of. This is true especially in low light or fast action or even moving subjects. One of my favorite subjects is aircraft so a typical day shooting a air show it's normal for me to take about 1,800 pictures if not more and end up with a few hundred that's good, even less that are great but more that aren't so good or perfect to even use because of just a slight noticeable change in a cloud or change in speed or direction of the aircraft. Waterfalls though take a couple of adjustment shots to dial in what look you are looking for as well as to even have to play with. This waterfall shot is actually one of 7 pictures of that exact same location, settings, etc. before changing the ND filter and camera settings for a possible different look and took another batch of pictures. One thing I was taught by my mother and read in magazines was to try and get the picture of the subject as close to how you would want it to look like printed on the camera before calling it a wrap on the photo shoot. One it cuts down on post processing but it also allows for pictures to look more life like as well. The other benefit of doing this is yes it takes more time but may end up having another idea or something might change within the subject to give it a even more unique feel to it. Example would be for the picture here is maybe more leaves came flowing downstream for that floating and adding color to the water falling, or if its sunny out change the shadows within the frame or even the colors within the sky change if its closer to dusk or dawn when you're out taking pictures. Otherwise my favorite is simply go out and have fun with your camera. Play around and experiment never know what you may end up with in the end that may shock not just you but everyone else and give someone else an idea of trying something new.
