Waterfall Weekend (Part 1): River Rainbows

Early morning at Shohola Falls

Our Waterfall Photography Workshop was, as usual, great fun for all! We had incredible weather with blue skies throughout the weekend. Although for waterfall photography we typically prefer overcast skies to limit the contrast of white water against black rock, the bright skies helped to bring out the colorful reflections of the Autumn trees. Before sunrise, the falls lent well to a black and white image.

As the sun rose higher, the colors were revealed…

As the sun peaked over the surrounding forest, colors were revealed along the edges of each drop. Pastel at first, the reflections of the Autumn glory became more intense and saturated. Choosing the correct shutter speeds to best show the color was a game of shoot and view.

1/400 second to nearly freeze the action.

Shot at 1/400 sec. the froth of the whitewater is nearly frozen in time, the bubbles adding an element of texture to the swift water.

1/5 second smooths the bubbles.

Shooting at a slower shutter speed of 1/5 second brings out the fluidity of the color and adds a softness to the image, creating a very different mood.

1/8 second was used to best reveal the rainbows!

As I walked the edge of the falls assisting the class participants with their questions, my eye was constantly drawn to this shape near the top of the falls. I tried many vantage points to get the image I wanted. So many trees and shrubs blocked each view I nearly gave up until I noticed a narrow opening in the shrubs leading out to the edge of a precarious precipice barely large enough for my tripod. I created a series of images at multiple shutter speeds and decided upon the image above showing the rainbow of color that is Autumn.