The only dry spot
A well known waterfall in Iceland Seljalandsfoss from a different view point. The spray from this large waterfall is far reaching. I hiked up an icy, muddy and ...
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A well known waterfall in Iceland Seljalandsfoss from a different view point. The spray from this large waterfall is far reaching. I hiked up an icy, muddy and slippery hill side to get to this spot instead of capturing it from below. It was tricky with all my gear and I fell several times. Eventually making it to a stable enough area it was still a challenge to find somewhere to anchor my tripod as the ground was very uneven as well. It was worth making the effort to get here and get some images without having to constantly wipe my camera lens clean from water droplets although the power of this waterfall means that even from this vantage point there was the occasional bit of spray depending where the wind was blowing from. The hike back down was harder although relatively speaking it was not very far as it was a very steep hill side.
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Jan, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in Walk 50 Steps and Shoot Photo Contest
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alicepedenartime
January 18, 2015
I so love this and the brilliant colors you have captured. And thank you for your visits and comments……:)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Seljalandsfoss waterfall in IcelandTime
Mid morning. In fact not the best time of day to be here so I tried to figure out a way to get something interesting out of this visit nonetheless. This is what made me decide to hike up the slippery hill to get to this vantage point. No one else came up here. Everyone was taking the safe option shooting from down at ground level.Lighting
Not ideal. The sun was behind and to the left but not really contributing much to the scene except that the intermittent overcast created somewhat diffuse lighting.Equipment
Nikon D800E, 16-35mm Nikon f/4 at f/22, Manfrotto tripod and cable releaseInspiration
Given that the time of day and lighting wasn't so optimal, I decided I had to work hard on composition. This is what compelled me to take "50 steps" to the right and hike up this small hill to see if the vantage point would yield anything. When I got here I was glad I made that decision as I saw how I could create an image with a lot of depth as well as give a more unique view point of this well photographed waterfall. The rocky wall to the right of the frame was full of interesting colour and texture and was glistening as well which made it even more interesting to include so I chose to use it as the way to lead the viewer into the frame all along the rocky wall deep into the photograph and to the other side of the waterfall. What a magical feeling it was to be up here alone treating my senses of sound, vision and smell.Editing
I focused all lot on bringing out the clarity, texture and structure of the rocky wall on the right as I want the viewer to start there and lead into the image feeling like they could almost reach out and touch it. Also careful dealing with the greens to keep them real but still vibrant as the water spray and general ice and dampness around gave a lush feel to the grass and moss around the waterfall and rocky wall as well as the meadow below.In my camera bag
Not an easy one to answer because I photograph everything from landscapes to sports, cityscapes, wildlife, underwater, and aerial. I have equipment to cover all of this pretty well. I will carry the 16-35mm, the prime 50mm and if possible the 70-200mm f2.8 1.4x and 2x teleconverter. Cable release of course. I have 3 different tripods of various sizes depending on space and a monopod plus a selection of ND filters plus a graduated ND with filter holder. Also standard polarisers but no colour correcting filters at all. For the wildlife and sports I take my Nikon 400mm f2.8. Affectionately known as the "pig" as it's so heavy but I love it. Fast and sharp. I now also have a micro 105mm f/2.8 and 24-70 mm f/2.8 all nikon branded. The only non Nikon lens I have is the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART lens. I have a few other gadgets but I also like to travel with my canvas Domke camera bag. Just love the go anywhere, durable old school feel that it has. Underwater so far I have been using a Canon G9 with 2x Ikelite strobes (DS51 and DS161) in a Ikelite housing. Attachments include a wide angle lens and a 10x magnifier for macro work.Feedback
Even though I came here at a less than optimal time of day I still wanted to find a composition that would do this place justice as well as try to get something fairly unique. So my advice is definitely don't give up on a location too quickly. By taking a little time to think about the possibilities, I decided to walk those 50 steps and shoot from this spot. Although it was far from the easiest option to reach this spot and my time to shoot was limited, I did feel rewarded when I got up here. I was just about able to touch the damp cool rocks on the right and feel the power of the rumbling waterfall. The occasional light spray reaching me even here but basically this really was "the only dry spot around"!
