Elk Park Series 1
I was cleaning up the falls for the Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina and made sure to take my drone. Didn't expect the color to be as good as it was.Read more
I was cleaning up the falls for the Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina and made sure to take my drone. Didn't expect the color to be as good as it was.
Elk Falls is in Elk Park, NC.
Read less
Elk Falls is in Elk Park, NC.
Read less
FC3170
Aperture 28/10 ISO 100 Shutter 1/30 Focal Length 4500/1000 
Elk Park, North Carolina, US
Oct, 2021Views
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Top Shot Award 22
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Elk Falls about four miles north of the small town of Elk Park, NC. It's a very popular, powerful and deadly waterfall, fifteen people have died at this waterfall which makes it the deadliest waterfall in North Carolina.Time
I've been to Elk Falls, which is an hour drive from my home, several times before and there have always been too many people there at all times of the day. I wanted to get uninterrupted shots of the falls so I left home at 6:30am. This shot was taken at 8:51 on October 13, 2021 right before visitors started showing up.Lighting
On sunny days the falls are more or less in shadows since they face the NE so I wanted to take them on an overcast or foggy day. The day before I shot this, I saw that the temperature and the dew point were going to be within 2 degrees of each other which indicates that fog will occur. It was very foggy when I arrived but was slowly dissipating by the time I took this shot. The lighting during the light fog helped saturate all the fall color in the trees.Equipment
I used a DJI Mavic Air 2 without any filters to take this photo.Inspiration
I've been to this waterfall several times over the years but have never been satisfied with the results with drone or dslr: Summer shots with bright skies and muted waterfall because it was in the shadows. Summer shots with overcast skies, no striking color or contrast. Dreary winter shots with no leaves on trees. I knew that with the right conditions in the fall I could shoot something I could be satisfied with.Editing
Since it's been over six months since I took this shot, I don't remember the exact process I used. But I always use the same process just the adjustments are never the same. I always pull my files (always RAW files) into Lightroom first and a lot of the times I will select the Auto button. It will usually make small exposure, contrast, highlight, shadow and vibrancy adjustments. I'll then see if any further adjustments should be made and lastly will add sharpening. I'll make any defect changes or cropping in Photoshop.In my camera bag
In my drone bag I have the Air 2, polarizer and ND filters, 3 batteries, remote controller, Ulanzi strobe for night flying, lens cloth, extra Sandisk Micro SD cards, extra set of propellers, and I use either my iPhone or iPad to run the flight app. In my dslr bag I have a Canon 5d Mk2, 17-40 lens, 70-200 lens, polarizer filters, ND filters, graduated ND filter, 2 spare batteries, lens cloth and blower.Feedback
Most importantly, do your research! Look at the potential site in Google maps or Google Earth to see what's around you and at what direction your target faces. Look at the direction of the sun for whatever time of the day you plan on shooting (I use The Photographers Ephemeris). Look at the weather and plan to shoot in the conditions that give you the effect you're wanting. If you're using a drone, be sure to check and make sure your target is not in restricted airspace. If it's in controlled airspace, make sure to get LAANC approval before flying.
