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Palouse Falls
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Palouse Falls



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Central Washington waterfall

Central Washington waterfall
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cameraCanon EOS 6D

settings Aperture f/16 ISO 50 Shutter 4/5 Focal Length 17/1 

upload_dateApr, 2016

Views

1953

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Awards

Contest Finalist in Streams Photo Contest
People's Choice in Waterfalls Photo Challenge
Winner in Waterfalls Of The World Photo Challenge
Peer Award
italylover Johnsalterego Meenykay kickmjw picperfect4u AntonioPedroniPhoto Adrian0h +68
Absolute Masterpiece
smshaffer CURUTCHET onyanita RLP073 Joonzuu larryollivier rhendricks +35
Superb Composition
awolslegelcomcastnet mjbranscome Daylan ramakantdhandhania IMIKEMEDIA Alfredo_Jose lauraputman +25
Top Choice
thatunicorngal Maadhatter PattyHunt mandischumacher redwolf0822 steveshilling Browneyedmermaid +8
Magnificent Capture
dglarson reggaedancer DELETED_paulbloch srfost BuckPhotography gennacard ronronco +7
Outstanding Creativity
Down2Earthtravelinspirer Ritsikas66 Sniperspawk9 mcampi ChrisHPhotos Nitka toxictabasco +1
All Star
Stellasview lhartney lyndacoxon rachelwalker_6062 nornots ruthchudaska-clemenz
Superior Skill
snowdon nessimk bnmaness Capture-Life

Top Ranks

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Categories

9 Comments |
nina050
 
nina050 April 12, 2016
Fantastic capture with this perspective! Looks like milk pouring from a carton... :-)
nina050
 
nina050 April 13, 2016
PS what lens did you use here?
sweetpea72
 
sweetpea72 April 13, 2016
Wow, Blair.. This is amazing!!
adriansart Platinum
 
adriansart April 30, 2016
Wow Blair this is stunning I am not surprised at all on your win with this one!
Beno62 PRO+
 
Beno62 April 30, 2016
Stunning...
NatureLoverJJWal
 
NatureLoverJJWal May 08, 2016
So beautiful capture of the water. I love the white spots on the water and I love the blurring.
07victor84
 
07victor84 October 31, 2016
One of my Favorite Places to hike and relax watching the Fall, Well Done and Congrats in Your Award , AMAZING capture !!!
snowdon PRO
 
snowdon October 15, 2017
Congratulations Blair on your Finalist Win in the Streams competition ... great photo
mauricemies
 
mauricemies October 02, 2019
very nice

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#palouse #falls #washington #state #landscape #park #waterfall #canyon #fall #river #usa #beautiful #nature #water #cloud #northwest #scenic #magnificent #scenery #evening #panorama #valley #deep #vista #long #exposure #pink #big #cliff #beauty
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

Palouse Falls, Washington , USA

Time

In the evening. Although dawn is my favorite time to shoot because of the solitude it often offers, dusk can offer equally promising lighting conditions .

Lighting

Like any great photo, it wouldn't happen without the proper lighting. A camera captures light. That's really all it does. The rest is up to us. Landscape photographers may be able to manipulate light some, but without ideal ambient light, we've already lost the opportunity for a great shot. Does this leave us helpless? Absolutely not! We're often set up and ready to shoot, only to be left with poor lighting conditions due to weather, cloud cover, wind, etc, but there are things within our control. Timing and location are critical. Typically, near sunrise or sunset provide the best opportunity for warm, diffused light, but one may be better than the other depending on subject location and orientation. The ideal shot may even depend on time of year. To some degree, that applies to this location, where the amount of water flowing can dramatically change the shot. Palouse Falls is situated facing west. In order to capture the canyon below along with the waterfall, the best place to set up is northwest of the subject and shoot mostly south at sunset. I liked conditions best after the sun had sunk low enough to shade the waterfall, yet provide filtered light to the canyon downstream. Although subtle, it rather dramatically provided side lighting to the canyon walls. Research is critical if you're traveling to a specific location far from home. I depend on Google Earth for much of my research. It helps to define orientation, can give us an idea for shooting locations, and can provide us with shots from other photographers. In this case, I traveled 1000 miles and from the kitchen table, I knew my best opportunity would come in the evening. I knew approximately where I would set up and had a good idea of what access would be like. All I needed was the proper weather and lighting for a successful shoot.

Equipment

Don't get too hung up on equipment. Yes, a better camera or lens will print a higher quality photo, but a far too common thought is that you need expensive equipment to capture a great shot. Many (maybe most) photographers don't even know how to take full advantage of what they already own. To me, it's far better to have great technique and spend time learning and doing, than to spend a lot of money on equipment. Don't upgrade equipment until your needs outgrow your ability. Camera- Canon 6d; Lens- EF17-40mm f/4L USM, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L @ 17mm; Filters- none; Exposure- 0.8 sec; ISO-50; Aperture- f-16

Inspiration

I've seen many award worthy shots of this spot. It's beautiful! Unfortunately, those popular landscapes are pretty difficult to shoot and come up with anything that stands out from the crowd. I wasn't there at right moon phase for a good night shot. The best I could do is to experiment with exposure. Although many believe that longer is better for getting the smoothness to running water that most everyone loves. That's not necessarily true. Here, there's a great deal of mist in the air. Too long of exposure allows the mist to blur important detail in the canyon walls below. Experiment to find what pleases you, and take a wide variety of exposures. They may look different than you expect when you get home and upload to your computer.

Editing

I like HDR, but it's not appropriate for every shot. I bracket almost every exposure I take, but don't necessarily use them. If you shoot in the wind, HDR software can bring blur or at least a lack of sharpness in to a scene, even when using deghosting. Sometimes it will steal needed contrast. I did blend two exposures for this shot. Without it, the sky was blown out.

In my camera bag

That depends on how far I have to carry it. For a long hike through the desert, I minimalize. I may carry my camera, tripod, one or two zoom lenses, extra batteries and memory cards, lots of water, and some emergency supplies. When I'm parked nearby, I try to scout the location with a camera and zoom lens, then take a few shots to see what I need. I'll return with that. I pack a lot in my vehicle, including lots of lenses, a spare camera and lighting. I try to take night shots near my car. I like to upload immediately to my laptop to see what I've got. Night photos almost always look different on the computer than the preview on the camera. I like having lighting handy too.

Feedback

Research for yourself! Don't take my word for it. There are fatal exposures. Scout the area and be aware of approaching weather. A wind gust or lightning bolt could make this the last place you ever shoot. To capture the waterfall and canyon below with one shot requires setting up in spots where one misstep means a fatal fall. You'll need to shoot wide too, 18mm minimum for a full frame camera, or 11mm for a crop sensor. One great thing about this location is there is a safe viewing area that is handicap accessible. The view is entirely different and best shot with a longer lens. Hiking in the canyon below is a so possible, if you have the time. I imagine the perspective is much different. Palouse Falls is a Washington state park, with a nominal users fee. A primitive campground is available for a few dollars more. When you get out of your car, you'll hear the rumble of the falls, but see nothing, the top of the waterfall is about 100 feet below the parking lot. Have fun and be safe!

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