Footfalls
The penultimate falls before the main waterfall at Protesters Falls.
The penultimate falls before the main waterfall at Protesters Falls.
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NIKON Z 7_2
Aperture 16/1 ISO 64 Shutter 1/5 Focal Length 240/10 
The Channon, New South Wales, AU
Nov, 2022Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Protesters Falls in the Northern Rivers region of Northern NSW, Australia. I made my way into the middle of the rushing stream to find a protected nook of rocks that kept me out of the strongest part of the current. It's as spot I visited repeatedly for a year hoping that I'd get these conditions, knowing that the footfalls would make a great foreground element.Time
Despite being a bit behind time, I managed to make it to the falls in the early afternoon around 1pm when the sun would have the best chance of piercing the thick cloud that has descended over the forest. I went in a bit later than planned as the road was very difficult to pass following multiple days of heavy rain, which lead to major flooding not long after this photo was taken.Lighting
There was a very mystical kind of light that prevailed thanks to the enormous amount of spray generated from the main falls in the background also . The falls are at the southernmost edge of mountains that tends to capture a long of moisture moving northwards, and as a result the you often get a very white, soft, and filtered light which allows for all the details in the foliage to be revealed. The falls provides the only real break in the forest canopy, which meant the furious rush of water had just enough contrast from the dark surroundings to reveal showcase the strength of its flow.Equipment
This was shot on a Nikon z7ii with a Nikkor z 24-70 f/2.8s attached. Besides that, nothing. There was far to much spray to allow me to change lenses anywhere, so while I'd like to have changed to a wider lens, I didn't risk it. I shot it handheld, and the lens is just stable enough to handhold at 1/3 of a second. Perhaps the most useful piece of equipment I had besides the camera itself was a good cloth, as it only too a few seconds of raising the camera in the direction of the falls for the lens to be completely obscured by water!Inspiration
I'm a huge fan of fantasy literature, which has led me to love landscape photography. The process of taking this photo and editing it really brought to mind some of the most beautiful descriptions of landscapes you find in Lord of the Rings, such as of the falls at Henneth Annun. Thanks to the low cloud, mist, and spray there's a mystical nature to the place which is extremely evocative. I had been returning to these falls almost every weekend for a year, knowing that the footfalls, when flowing quickly, would give me the best waterfall photo I'd taken up until that point and bring me as close to the worlds of fantasy I so enjoy as I have ever been.Editing
I spent around half an hour on this photo in Lightroom Classic doing relatively little in the end. I made sure to lift the blacks on the footfalls to give them a touch more exposure, while also lifting the shadows and exposure in the darkest areas around the bottom third of the image to show the moss on the rocks more. I also lifted the luminance of the greens and yellows for a bit more punch and shifted the oranges slightly more towards red. I added a touch of haze to the background to enhance the mystical effect. The final step was to shift the calibration of the green primary more towards cyan to give the image an overall cooler feel based on the hue of the greens.In my camera bag
For the most part I get around with a Nikon z7ii, which despite having sustained significant water damage during flooding still operates very well after 175,000 shutter actuations! For a prolonged outing like this where I expect to be somewhere stunning for more than 5 hours I also bring a tripod (though I rarely use it), a 70-200 f/2.8, a 14-30 f/4, a 105 f/2.8 macro, and a 100-400 f/4.5-5.6. Since this photo, I've added a Nikon z6ii so I can have a second lens ready without having to change lenses somewhere like protesters falls where it's terribly inconvenient and risky to do so.Feedback
Locations like this can be very difficult to access when the conditions are best for photos. While sneaking in after heavy rain gives you the strongest flow in the stream, it makes the path there treacherous to say the least. That's why it's important to visit the location a number of times during fine weather to scout it out and understand the best way along the path when the weather is worse for hiking but better for photos. As there there many places I had to walk through with fast flowing water up to me knees, it was very important that I knew where under the water I could find the best purchase for my boots. That leads me onto the next point that appropriate clothing should never be neglected. It'll let you get to the location healthy and ready to take a photo. There's no point bringing all the camera gear and missing the opportunity because you're too cold and wet to handle the camera.
