Decew Falls - Lower
My husband and I hiked down to the Lower Decew Falls in May 2013 in the early morning.
My husband and I hiked down to the Lower Decew Falls in May 2013 in the early morning.
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Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at Decew Falls near St. Catharines Ontario. There is a trail you can follow to the bottom of the escarpment and then you follow the creek back to the falls. This is the lower falls. I believe there is an upper falls that is accessible as well, but that will be for yet another adventure!Time
It was approximately seven o'clock in the morning. I woke my husband up early on a Saturday for an early morning hike with every intention of photographing the lower falls. When I am planning on photographing nature, I love the early morning hours!Lighting
It is important to get there either early in the morning or later in the day because the sun eventually comes up right above the falls and can interfere if you don't have a neutral density filter with you. If you go early in the morning you beat the sun there and if you go in the late afternoon, the sun is behind you.Equipment
I used my Nikon D600 with my Velbon Tripod and a Nikon Shutter Remote with just a plain UV filter on the lense. I was using a 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Nikon Lense I had purchased just three days prior.Inspiration
I love waterfalls and this particular one is absolutely beautiful. It is also a wonderful hike I would call moderately difficult and a nice healthy start to a wonderful day! The way the water cascades down the creek is absolutely beautiful and I had been envisioning this picture for quite some time!Editing
I received a copy of Lightroom 4 when I originally purchased the camera and I used Lightroom to lighten the dark areas. I like to use Lightroom to adjust the clarity as well as the highlights and shadows.In my camera bag
I normally pack my Nikon D600 along with my 28-300mm Lense. I have learned to carry my neutral density filter with me at all times as well, though I did not use it in this particular picture. I always carry my remote shutter release and a cleaning cloth. Sometime I also carry my 105mm Nikon Macro Lense depending on where we are going as well as my tripod. I find a backpack style camera bag works best for me especially when we are hiking.Feedback
Be patient and try all different angles and exposures. One of the advantages of digital photography is you can take as many pictures as you like and choose the ones you want to keep. I always try several different settings on my camera for the same picture and choose the one I like best. Always be aware of your surroundings. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in what you are doing you forget the risks involved. I left my camera on the tripod in an unsteady position to reach for the remote I forgot to take out of the bag, momentarily letting go of the camera and tripod I had set up along the side of the creek. In that moment, the camera and tripod fell over crashing into the water and smashing against the rocks. I learned several valuable lessons that day. One, never forget the risks and two, always have a filter on your lense. That UV filter was smashed to pieces, but my lense survived! Wish I could say the same thing for the camera! I loved that camera so much, I replaced it with the very same one! I have learned to be a bit more cautious with my equipment and not to be led astray by my excitement!
