A Hidden Pool
Not many things beat the discovery of an immaculate waterfall at the conclusion of a challenging summer hike. Finding the waterfall unoccupied by others, is eve...
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Not many things beat the discovery of an immaculate waterfall at the conclusion of a challenging summer hike. Finding the waterfall unoccupied by others, is even better. Kalauao Falls is barely a trickle in June, but a recent rain left the stream with ample flow.
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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the turn-around point of the Kalauao Falls Loop Trail (located near Honolulu, Hawaii), during a family hike with some friends. The trail is about five miles long and is an offshoot of the far more popular Aeia Loop Trail.Time
The photo was taken at 1000 on 18 June 2016, which is about as early as one can get to a destination when hiking with two infants! We camped at a nearby campground the night before, which facilitated our relatively early arrival to the waterfall. This meant we had 30 minutes to ourselves at this gorgeous site before other hikers closed on our location--enabling me to capture the serenity of this jungle waterfall and pool.Lighting
With the sun still low in the sky, and this waterfall's position in a deep valley, I was able to capture this long exposure shot photography without the aide of a neutral density filter. Thick overhead cover provided some dramatic, and contrasted, lighting across this scene.Equipment
On most family hikes, I carry my daughter in a baby carrier, which means that my wife is left to carry the camera bag! Much to my wife's chagrin, I always attach the tripod to my camera bag for just this sort of moment (despite its bulkiness and improvised attachment to the bag). I still shoot using a Canon Rebel XSi, with the standard 18-55mm lens, which I purchased when I was still in college!Inspiration
I think the picture sums up my inspiration perfectly--what else is better than hiking several miles to a secluded waterfall that you have to yourself? Taking a great photograph of the secluded waterfall that you have to yourself!Editing
Before taking this image, I recently purchased Adobe Lightroom (having previously conducted post-processing in Canon's Digital Photo Professional) so this was my first editing experience in Lightroom. I spent countless hours watching YouTube Videos and reading blogs to determine the techniques that best matched my style. Most of the post-processing for this image revolved around balancing the strong highlights and shadows, which took some local dodging/burning to achieve the desired effect.In my camera bag
I still shoot using a Canon Rebel XSi, with the standard 18-55mm lens, which I purchased in 2008! Since then I added a 70-300mm lens, a vast array of filters (neutral density and polarizers), and a tripod to complete my kit.Feedback
The two best two pieces of advice I can offer are: never stop exploring the scene and don't be afraid to shoot portrait when taking landscape photos. My initial shots at this location were 15 feet to the left of the final location and were slightly closer to the waterfall, which meant that the unique moss covered rocks in the foreground were not present for the initial shot. I took shots in three or four different locations before capturing this image. Similarly, I tried capturing this scene in a landscape format to capture the dramatic surrounding terrain, before electing to switch to the portrait orientation which better focuses the scene on the waterfall.
