Amicalola Falls - Upper II
Oct, 2015Views
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AngelLappmarkSe
October 12, 2017
Stunning how you got the water. I love it. Thank you for sharing and participating in my challenge Beautiful rivers. Greetz Angel Lappmark. Sweden.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville, Georgia. It is the highest waterfall in the state of Georgia at 729 feet. As with many of the names of places in North Georgia, the falls get their name from a Cherokee word meaning "tumbling waters." This image is only of the upper portion of the falls where the walkway crosses over the falls.Time
This has always been one of my favorite images from this trip. I don’t think I will ever forget this day. My wife and I had spent most of the night talking with our oldest and his wife on the porch. The sun rose to reveal a beautiful autumn morning in late September. We all decided to take a road trip and go on a hike. We ended up at Amicalola Falls State Park, never having been there before, and decided to hike up to the falls. We started at the visitor’s center and noticed that a trail left out the back and up the mountain. Little did we know that this is the start of the Appalachian Trail and no walk in the park for those that only walk occasionally. Part of the movie “A Walk in the Woods” was filmed here and we are able to relate and recognize some areas in the film. We even stopped and sat on the same fallen tree along the trail up. We didn’t know there was an easier stairway if we had simply kept driving up the road past the visitor center. Regardless of the challenge, it was a wonderful day out with family. This image was taken after we finally reached the top of the falls, found the staircase and started back down. It was late afternoon on the 23rd of September, 2015.Lighting
I was really, very lucky with the lighting this day. It was late afternoon and overcast.Equipment
I was still new to digital photography and carrying my first DSLR, a Nikon D5000 and Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED, AF-S VR Lens.Inspiration
Its a waterfall! What more do you need...lol. Seriously, this was absolutely beautiful with the falls and the autumn colors. I simply tried to capture the scene as best I could.Editing
No this is a straight out of the camera image.In my camera bag
My camera equipment and pack-up have changed as my experience has grown (as I am sure it does with most). I now carry a Nikon D810 body with battery grip and sometimes my D7200 as backup. I typically have my Nikon 80-400 telephoto + 1.7 teleconverter, a 50mm, an 85mm and, of course, my 24-70mm. I typically have water proof bag and camera covers, lens cleaning kit, speedlight(s) and wireless triggers, a wired shutter release, spare batteries, grey card, etc.Feedback
Don't overlook your local resources. There are some amazing places open to the public near you. Explore, take advantage of every opportunity and shoot, shoot, shoot. I learn with every image. I always say, "the day I stop learning is the day I need to find something else to do." Be patient and understanding with yourself. Don't get into a hurry, take you're time, study your surroundings, pick your perfect angle/position. Sometimes, if you have time, it pays to scout out an area and choose the perfect location/angle and time of day for exactly what you want. If you can, plan...it pays in the end...if you cant, adapt and do the best with what you have.
