Pacific Northwest at its Best
A section of Panther Creek in Washington State just before its waters cascade over Panther Creek Falls is an ideal view of what makes the Pacific Northwest so a...
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A section of Panther Creek in Washington State just before its waters cascade over Panther Creek Falls is an ideal view of what makes the Pacific Northwest so amazing and beautiful.
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Mar, 2017Views
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Streams In Nature Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Fallen Trees Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Backcountry Photo Contest
Peer Award
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john_arsenault
July 24, 2017
the rich colors of this mage, combined with the slow shutter speed, give it an almost mystical feeling. great image.
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Behind The Lens
Location
Nestled into the hills of the Washington State side of the Columbia River Gorge is Panther Creek, who's meanderings through the Pacific Northwest include the awe inspiring Panther Creek Falls. This, is not Panther Creek Falls, but rather several hundred yards up stream from the waterfall.Time
One of the amazing things about the Pacific Northwest is the skies, they can hold amazing light yet soft shadows at almost any time of the day. My EXIF information states that this shot was captured at 7:34pm, CST, adjusting for Pacific Time, this was actually right in the middle of late afternoon. We had visited at least three waterfalls earlier in the day and had yet to visit Spirit Falls later in the day - a typical day of adventure on my photo trips.Lighting
As mentioned in the previous section, the light of the Pacific Northwest holds it's own magic. Mid-afternoon can seem like dawn, dawn can feel like mid day, the skies let just enough light through and the towering forests do the rest. As I recall it was mostly cloudy that day, humid as well, and fairly cool for an early June day, even by Pacific Northwest standards.Equipment
This was shot on one of my two Canon 6D bodies and one of my favorite landscape lenses, the amazing 16-35 F4L. Stabilization was provided by my compact but sturdy MeFoto GlobeTrotter travel tripod. A Breakthrough X4 ND filter provided the needed light reduction to slow the shutter speed down to 1 second. I suspect that I was actually using my 6-stop strength ND for this shot, as I actually had the ISO turned up a bit (ISO400) and the aperture at a fairly wide f/7.1. I suspect I was more focused on the composition and exploring the options among these cascades and fallen trees and didn't want to take the time to swap to the 3-stop ND I also carry.Inspiration
There are hundreds of well known spots in the Pacific Northwest that are truly awe inspiring, but they are also shot over and over and over again. While I too usually get "the" shot, I try to stay mobile and explore different compositions and other areas that show the 'known' location in a slightly different way. Something unique to come home with that most people could not identify the location at first glance. This particular location drew me in with all of the different textures and shapes. The two fallen logs, one covered in moss and the other slick and smooth, the greens of the trees and the cool blue of the water.Editing
There is a fair bit of processing in this image. I call my style 'enhanced reality'. I want the photo to always remain true to life, but the fullness of the artistic spirit and emotion that I felt at the location also needs to come through. I utilize both Lightroom and Photoshop within my post processing workflow. The initial photo corrections are done in Lightroom, and the 'creative' adjustments are then done with the power of Photoshop. In this image there is a significant amount of doge and burn work to accentuate certain areas of the image while letting others draw further into the background.In my camera bag
My primary landscape kit consists of the Canon 6D, Canon 16-35 F4L, Canon 24-105 F4L and Canon 70-200 F4L. With these three lenses I can capture a very wide range of landscape looks. The Breakthrough X4 ND filters (6 and 3-stop) are also vital to many of my outings and stay in my bag at all times. I have recently added the new Rokinon SP 14mm f/2.4 to my kit, though it occasionally stays at home due to the added weight on longer hikes.Feedback
Natural beauty is everywhere. I most certainly isn't constrained to the 'usual' view of the 'known' location. Be willing to risk a little poison ivy or a scratch or two to climb down the hill or poke your head around the corner. Be respectful of nature and it's power however, don't tread where you can do damage to fragile ecosystems or where you're likely to do yourself grave harm. Being aware and respectful of mother nature will bring you some amazing views and hopefully amazing images.
