Letchworth-State-Park
HDR shot of the lower falls in Letchworth State Park, NY
HDR shot of the lower falls in Letchworth State Park, NY
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Jan, 2014Views
1013
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Awards
Action Award
Legendary Award
Featured
Contest Finalist in Journey Into Nature Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Great Find
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Jaw Dropping
All Star
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Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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agwinney
August 07, 2014
Wow is all I can say it's breath taking nicely composed shot and congratulations on being a finalist.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this in Letchworth State Park, otherwise known as the grand canyon of the east. It has three beautiful waterfalls and tons of trails and scenic areas. This is of the lower falls which is not photographed as much as the others.Time
I took this around late morning / early afternoon. I try to get to the park early as it is over 20 miles to the other side so I need time to drive to the locations.Lighting
I got a little lucky as there was a decent cloud cover that day and this is in a location with a fair amount of trees so the lighting just worked.Equipment
I shot this with a Canon 7D MKII, Tokina 11 - 16mm lens, and Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
Letchworth State Park is a big attraction by me. There are tons of people photographing it daily including myself. I wanted to do something a little different as most people focus more on the upper and middle falls of the park. I consider the lower falls a sort of hidden gem because you do not see as many photos of it. Probably due to the location as there is a quite a hike to get to it and all down hill.Editing
Yes. This is a combination of HDR and long exposure photography. I took the long exposure to get the nice ghosting on the falls and bracketed 5 images to help pull some detail from the rocks and grass. Once I created an HDR image and a long exposure, I went into Photoshop and composited them together painting and masking the areas I wanted visible to get the best of both worlds.In my camera bag
It really depends on the day but I always have my Canon 7D MKII, Tamron 70-200 F2.8, Tamron 17-55 F2.8, and my Manfrotto tripod (carbon fiber so its nice and light). If I am doing landscapes I will usually bring my canon 50mm 1.8 and my Tokina 11-16 f2.8 as well.Feedback
I would say try to get an idea of what you want and plan for it. Watch the weather to find the perfect day and don't be afraid to take too many pictures. It is better to have too much than not enough. I shot numerous bracketed images and long exposures at different settings so I have options for when I go to edit. I also think it is important to not get stuck on your first idea. Play with different angles and focal distances. Sometimes you can stumble onto something great just by playing around. Lastly, try not to over-process. I personally think this image is a little over-processed and I would do it differently now. At the same time, don't be afraid to show it if you like it. I was amazed at how many people liked this image when I felt I actually had better ones.
