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Falls of Falloch

A short walk to find this waterfall nestled amongst the tress.

A short walk to find this waterfall nestled amongst the tress.
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NIKON D850

settings

Aperture f/18 ISO 64 Shutter 2/1 Focal Length 240/10

upload_date

Dec, 2018

Views

141

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Awards

Action Award

Elite

Peer Award

Virtuoso

Magnificent Capture

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Superb Composition

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Top 20 rank

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Behind The Lens

Location

The falls are located on the River Falloch which runs into the northern end of Loch Lomond. There is a parking area alongside the A82 and a short walk brings you to an area that overlooks the falls.

Time

I visited Scotland in mid thru late October and the winter was starting to set in with the first snowfalls and autumn colours raging across the landscape. The weather on this day was cold, windy, and overcast with passing heavy rain showers. I had been up in the early hours (dark) to photograph the dawn on Loch Lomond and moved on to the falls after stopping for breakfast at the Drover's Inn.

Lighting

The day was generally gloomy but made for slow shutter speeds and an opportunity to slow the water effects.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D850 with 24-70mm F2.8 lens with a Syrp variable density filter fitted on a low setting. The tripod is a Gitzo GT3542 with an Arca Swiss P0 head. Focal length was 24mm; F18; Matrix metering. Landscape profile; Focus was Manual with Cloudy White Balance.

Inspiration

I have always liked photographing the movement of water and saw this as a challenge to capture the contrast between the autumn colours of the surrounding trees, the blackness of the water, and the brilliant white of the falls themselves ideally with the falls having the silkiness that one sees in other photographs.

Editing

The original shot was a RAW file. I used Nikon's View NX-I program to make some adjustments to the shadows and to lift the exposure before exporting as a JPG.

In my camera bag

My bag contents change with my plans for the day. My main body for landscapes is a Nikon D850 with battery grip; 14-24mm F2.8 Sigma; 24-70 F2.8 Nikon; 70-200 F2.8E Nikon lens. Spare batteries, spare cards, cleaning cloth, a chamois and rain covers for wet days. A set of Lee Filters or a Variable ND depending on whether I am planning to make frequent location changes or not and trusty tripod. If I am after wildlife or bird shots I will take my Nikon 200-500 F5.6 lens.

Feedback

Don't be put off by inclement weather. Scout around for the best angle and don't be afraid to make use of unusual angles. For example there are several viewpoints at this location mostly situated in line with the top of the falls. I wanted a more unique angle and eventually spotted a location on rocks at the same level as the exit of the plunge pool where I would be shooting up at the falls and could possibly get two flowing water elements into the shot. I had to leave my gear on the ground, climb down and then have someone pass me the tripod and camera.The rocks were very wet and slippery so patience and slow movements were needed to get the gear and oneself into position and steady. To avoid camera shake I set the shutter activation on a 2 second delay.

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Kiwiracer

Kiwiracer

Falls of Falloch

A short walk to find this waterfall nestled amongst the tress.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow Kiwiracer

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