Niagara Falls
Originally shot on 35mm film and scanned from the negative.
Originally shot on 35mm film and scanned from the negative.
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Nov, 2016Views
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Awards
People's Choice in Riverscape Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is Prospect Point, on the New York side of the American Falls at Niagara Falls. In the middle distance is Goat Island, between the American and Canadian Falls, and the far distance in the Ontario side of the Niagara River.Time
Honestly, I don't even remember. This photo was taken in the late 1980s while taking a friend to visit Niagara Falls. Judging from the angle of the light in the shot, my best guess is that it was late afternoon or early evening.Lighting
The scattered clouds combined with the lower angle sunlight to create so dramatic lighting conditions, as evident in the image.Equipment
I shot this image with my old Pentax K1000 35 mm film camera, using a Vivitar 28-70 mm zoom lens, which generated the dramatic lens flare in the image.Inspiration
Who doesn't take a photo from this spot, right alongside roaring waterfalls at Niagara? I was still in college when I shot this image, and was still learning how to compose and properly expose images to capture the images I liked. The late day light provided a sense of drama to the scene that I wanted to capture, and I carefully framed the shot to avoid the buildings that encroach on so many of the vistas at Niagara Falls. Shooting on film didn't provide me with immediate feedback, so I had to wait until the film was developed to see how the shot came out.Editing
The image that was uploaded here was scanned from the 35 mm negative sometime in the early 2000s, and was processed using Photoshop Elements to convert to a positive image. I also made minor adjustments to the overall brightness and saturation of the image to emphasize the dramatic lighting of the scene.In my camera bag
Back in the 80s, as a student, I couldn't afford a great deal of equipment, so I mostly just carried by Pentax K1000 with the Vivitar 28-70 mm zoom lens mounted. It was my go-to camera right up until I transitioned to a DSLR in 2006. I didn't take as many shots back then, as developing film was an expense that I couldn't afford to spend a great deal of money on. But the K1000 was an incredible camera that taught me a great deal about how to properly expose a shot and how adjusting shutter speeds, aperture sizes, and focal lengths changed the look of a scene.Feedback
Capturing a scene like this with today's cameras, with their built-in scene styles and filters, image stabilization, and instant feedback, is far easier than it was back in the days of the film cameras. But recognizing a scene worth capturing still requires skill, one that can be learned through patience and practice. I strongly suggest that you learn your camera by experimenting with its settings, to see how they change the image. That way you can look at a scene and understand what images are possible to capture.
