~ Joy of Photography
The rain this Spring and melting snow from winter made for some spectacular waterfalls in numerous Southern Utah locations this year. Here is another set of images.
Willis creek normally has minimal water flow and is frequently dry.
Continue reading “Willis Creek Slot Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument”
The rain this Spring and melting snow from winter made for some spectacular waterfalls in numerous Southern Utah locations this year. I am still editing images but this is another one of my water image favorites.
Continue reading “Many Pools Trail, Zion National Park”
The rain this Spring and melting snow from winter made for some spectacular waterfalls in numerous Southern Utah locations this year. I am still editing images but this is one of my favorites.
Continue reading “Lower Emerald Pools – Zion National Park Waterfall”
Gunlock State Park is a state park of Utah, USA, adjoining the 266-acre Gunlock Reservoir that impounds the Santa Clara River. The park is located approximately 15 miles northwest of St George. The reservoir dam was constructed in 1970 for irrigation water and flood control.
Continue reading “Gunlock State Park Utah Waterfall”
This is an image I took of Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park. Weather and water permitting, these falls light up in February.
This image is of drops of waterfall spray hitting a pool of water at a location named Lower Emerald Pools in Zion National Park.
This location is one the most assessible places in the park.
Continue reading “Splish Splash – Lower Emerald Pool Waterfall Spray Zion National Park”
I finally finished editing Autumn 2021 images but still have many more to post. This one is a return to Lower Emerald Pools one the most assessible places in the park.
Note: There is a lot more detail in the spray on the actual image than the JPEG above. Also conversion to JPEG shifted the blue sky a bit in a manner not true to the image.
Continue reading “Zion National Park – Lower Emerald Pool Waterfall Spray”
This is the third and final post for this second trip on the Zion Subway trail, officially called the “Left Fork” Trail.
It’s a very rugged trail, about 9 miles round trip scrambling over boulders and crossing the river many, many times. The scrambling and length of the trail makes it a difficult hike, much more so than the Narrows trail which I have written about. The first decent and even more so final assent back up is brutally steep. ….
Continue reading “Zion National Park – Left Fork Trail – The Slide”
Devil’s Garden is located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s about 18 miles from Escalante, Utah down Hole-in-the-Rock road.
The road is unpaved with deadpan washboard, but any car is suitatable. The garden features two arches, these trolls and other interesting rock formations.
Continue reading “Four Trolls – Devils’ Garden – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument”
Calf Creek is a perennial stream located in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There are two waterfalls which you can visit, the upper falls and the lower falls. The lower falls is more accessible, a bigger drop, and much more popular.
The 6-mile out-and-back hike to the lower falls is relatively flat, and the trailhead is located just off of Utah Scenic Byway 12, the highway between Escalante and Boulder. There is a sign for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Calf Creek Recreation Area.
Although the trail is flat, it is somewhat of a slug as much of it is in the sand.
Continue reading “Lower Calf Creek Falls – Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument”
Second Waterfall on Quail Creek
Image Details
The Red Reef Trail in St. George, Utah follows Quail Creek to a pair of waterfalls that are at times completely dry.
The trail head starts at the Red Cliffs Campground. The best spot to park, is near campsite #2, if you can get it. Parking is extremely limited, so go midweek or very early in the morning or late in the day or you will struggle with parking.
It’s 2.2 miles out-and-back and it’s an easy trail for kids. The trail passes old cottonwood trees, an alcove with Pictographs, and reflection pools in the creek.
The waterfalls were totally dry in December and January but rain and snow came in February and the water is still flowing headed into April.
If you hike the trail stop, at the alcove on the way to the waterfalls. I will cover the alcove, pictographs, reflection pools, mountains, and other areas of Red Cliffs in following posts.
Continue reading “Red Cliffs National Conservation Area Waterfalls”
On a trip to Salt Lake City, my wife and I visited some waterfalls in the area. Lisa Falls is near Sandy, Utah.
It’s a short 0.3 mile hike to the falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
I used a Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens at 20mm, F16, for 0.5 seconds at ISO 100.
Continue reading “Lisa Falls, Sandy, Utah”
On a trip to Salt Lake City, my wife and I visited some waterfalls in the area. Hidden Falls is in Mounthaven, Utah.
It’s a short 0.3 mile hike to the falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
I used a Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens for 1.6 seconds at ISO 200.
Continue reading “Hidden Falls, Mounthaven, Utah”
I took these shots of Bond Falls about a year ago on my final farewell Autumn photography tour of the Midwest.
Bond Falls is a scenic waterfall created as the middle branch of the Ontonagon river tumbles over a thick belt of fractured rock, dividing it into numerous small cascades. Roadside parking and picnic tables are available near the top of the falls. An accessible boardwalk with six viewing locations.
It takes four things to get a good Autumn image of Bond Falls: Good color, good flows, good technique, clouds. Images of Bond Falls do not look good in the sun.
Bond Falls
There are numerous waterfalls in Alger County Michigan, also home of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
It’s an easy drive to Au Train Falls from Munising. The hike is about 5 minutes.
Much of the time there is so much water there is no formation at all to the falls.
That was the case when I photographed what I call the “Weeping Wall” at the base of road that takes you to the falls.
Weeping Wall
Continue reading “Au Train Falls and Weeping Wall, Alger County Michigan”
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is one of my favorite spots on Lake Superior. It is a fantastic park for hiking. The waterfalls are exceptional after a Spring or Summer rain.
Sable Falls is best if the water level is not too high as is the case here. Sometimes these huge potholes are completely underwater.
Continue reading “Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Sable Falls”
Starved Rock State Park is in Utica, Illinois. The park is about 2 hours away from Chicago.
My favorite times to visit, in order, are Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer is too crowded and the waterfall flows are typically minimum.
I have covered the area in previous posts extensively and will wrap up Starved Rock in two posts, this being the second to last.
St. Louis Canyon Waterfall
I took that image hiking with a friend this past Autumn. I have been to this spot at least a dozen times but this past Autumn is the first time I made what I would label a good shot. Continue reading “Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: St. Louis Canyon Canyon and Wildcat Canyon Waterfalls”
Starved Rock State Park is in Utica, Illinois. The park is about 2 hours away from Chicago.
My favorite times to visit, in order, are Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer is too crowded and the waterfall flows are typically minimum.
I have covered the area in previous posts extensively and will wrap up Starved Rock in two posts, this being the second to last.
Kaskaskia Canyon Waterfall
I took that image hiking with a friend this past Autumn. I have been to this spot at least a dozen times but this past Autumn is the first time I made what I would label a good shot. Continue reading “Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: Kaskaskia Canyon and French Canyon Waterfalls”
Starved Rock State Park is in Utica, Illinois. The park is about 2 hours away from Chicago.
My favorite times to visit, in order, are Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Summer is too crowded and the waterfall flows are typically minimum.
This image is not from this year so I cannot say for sure what it might look like right now. The water flows this year have been excellent but the alternating hot and cold spells might not be sufficient to build a great frozen waterfall.
I was fortunate to have this woman and her two dogs show up when I was there. I asked to stand still and she did. I like the pink booties on one of her dogs.
Continue reading “Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: Ottawa Canyon Waterfall”
Matthiessen State Park is located in central LaSalle County, approximately 4 miles south of Utica and 3 miles east of Oglesby.
Continue reading “Matthiessen State Park – Lower Dells – Intermittent Waterfall”
In March of 2017 my wife Liz and I went Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) hunting in Iceland. It’s a popular destination for chasing the Northern Lights hunting, but the results are often mixed. I posted several Northern lights images (links below), but we only had one great nighttime excursion.
The rest of the trip was by no means a bust. Please take a chance.
This location is the Svartifoss Waterfall featuring basalt columns of volcanic rock.
The hike is 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles), each way, from the visitor center, uphill. On the way to Svartifoss, you come across other waterfalls in the gorge. Svartifoss cannot be seen from the road and the hike up to it takes some 90 minutes back and forth with photo stops.
We got lucky. It was cloudy and rainy when we started the hike. The clouds broke for about 15 minutes as we reached the top.
Feature Image Details
For the featured image, I used a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at 28mm for 0.8 seconds at F16.
Anyone with a tripod and reasonable technique could get this shot. The two keys are a tripod and reasonable technique. You need a tripod because you cannot hand hold for anywhere close to a second. Yet, if you do not force the shutter open that long, you cannot get smooth, silky water.
Closeup Detail
For the above shot, I was well off the trail, where I was not supposed to be.
My wife Liz, of saner mind, was not with me. The feature image was taken from the trail or at least reasonably close.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
Iceland Aurora Images
Iceland is a fabulous destination. I have an entire series called Iceland in 16 days.
Scroll through my Mish Moments Home Page until you find them. I discuss where to go, where to stay, and what to see. I also have photo tips on many of the best locations.,
Interested in visiting Iceland?
Please see my Iceland Guide. It lists our complete itinerary for a 16-day summer solstice trip.
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Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Those looking for a nice weekend or day trip from Chicago, Northern Illinois, or Wisconsin should check out the natural features near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
This post is my second on Pewit’s Nest State Natural Area.
The dominant feature at Pewits Nest is a 30- to 40-foot deep gorge formed during the retreat of the last glacier. Associated with it are Skillet Creek, shaded cliffs, and a northern dry-mesic pine forest. When Glacial Lake Baraboo drained, Skillet Creek cut a narrow canyon through the Cambrian sandstone, forming a series of potholes and low waterfalls. The layers of Cambrian sandstone show that a finer-grained sediment was laid down by the Cambrian seas “inside” the syncline, a process different from that at Parfrey’s Glen where coarser Cambrian conglomerates and sandstones are found in layers. Skillet Creek has a gradient of 38 feet/mile and an average flow of 0.8 cfs. Within and above the gorge grows a narrow fringe of forest dominated by red cedar, white pine, hemlock, and yellow birch.
The hike to the gorge is about 0.9 miles. I would rate it as very easy. There is elevation change to get to the top, but anyone in reasonably good health who can walk will not struggle with this one. The main danger is getting too close to the cliff edge and falling off.
Pewit’s Nest Directions
The DNR link above provides directions and a map of newly closed areas. I cannot tell precisely from the map if I was in a closed area or not when I took the vertical images from above. I do not believe I was in a closed area for the third, horizontal image that shows a tiny portion of the lower falls.
Judging from the map, all the trails appear to be open but there is no longer any access to the gorge itself.
I had never been in the gorge but wanted to do so in the winter if things froze solid enough. That option appears to be gone, at least legally.
Feature Image Details
For the feature image, I used a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at ISO 100, 32mm, 4 seconds at F22 with a circular polarizer to saturate the colors.
Pewit’s Next Tips
Polarizer Tips
People misuse polarizers. I generally do not use them on sunny days, especially if I have a lot of sky in the image. Why? The polarizer will darken the sky in a very non-uniform manner that is hard to correct even in Photoshop.
I often use polarizers on cloudy days and did so on these images. Here are two more images from this spot in the upper area.
I went back the next day, but a heavy overnight rain increased the flow and washed almost all the leaves away.
Also see Pewits Nest, Wisconsin State Natural Area, Lower Falls.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
Nearby Locations
Devil’s Lake State Park, Parfrey’s Glen, Ableman’s Gorge, and the International Crane Foundation are close by.
Ableman’s Gorge
I have an entire series on the International Crane Foundation. That link will take you to some of them. Look for those tagged “Mish Moments”.
Click on the link for a search, or better yet, scroll through my Mish Moments Home Page until you find them.
I will cover Devil’s Lake State Park and Parfrey’s Glen in subsequent articles.
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MishMoments is a subset of MishGEA. Those interested in photography only should follow MishMoments.
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Coming up: A second post on Pewit’s Nest them Parfrey’s Glen.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Those looking for a nice weekend or day trip from Chicago, Northern Illinois, or Wisconsin should check out the natural features near Baraboo, Wisconsin.
This post is on Pewit’s Nest State Natural Area.
The dominant feature at Pewits Nest is a 30- to 40-foot deep gorge formed during the retreat of the last glacier. Associated with it are Skillet Creek, shaded cliffs, and a northern dry-mesic pine forest. When Glacial Lake Baraboo drained, Skillet Creek cut a narrow canyon through the Cambrian sandstone, forming a series of potholes and low waterfalls. The layers of Cambrian sandstone show that a finer-grained sediment was laid down by the Cambrian seas “inside” the syncline, a process different from that at Parfrey’s Glen where coarser Cambrian conglomerates and sandstones are found in layers. Skillet Creek has a gradient of 38 feet/mile and an average flow of 0.8 cfs. Within and above the gorge grows a narrow fringe of forest dominated by red cedar, white pine, hemlock, and yellow birch.
The hike to the gorge is about 0.9 miles. I would rate it as very easy. There is elevation change to get to the top, but anyone in reasonably good health who can walk will not struggle with this one. The main danger is getting too close to the cliff edge and falling off.
Pewit’s Nest Directions
The DNR link above provides directions and a map of newly closed areas. I cannot tell precisely from the map if I was in a closed area or not when I took the vertical images from above. I do not believe I was in a closed area for the third, horizontal image that shows a tiny portion of the lower falls.
Judging from the map, all the trails appear to be open but there is no longer any access to the gorge itself.
I had never been in the gorge but wanted to do so in the winter if things froze solid enough. That option appears to be gone, at least legally.
Feature Image Details
For the feature image, I used a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at ISO 125, 45mm, 3.2 seconds at F22.
I do not recommend an F22 or anything greater than f16 because you run into diffraction limits which makes for decreased sharpness. I was trying to get a longer exposure to blur the water. F16 would have resulted in an exposure half of F22 (each F-Stop doubles or halves the time). 1.6 seconds likely would have been long enough to get the effect in the water that I wanted. All that said, the image is very sharp, so F22 does not seem to have hut the image any.
Pewit’s Next Tips
Polarizer Tips
People misuse polarizers. I generally do not use them on sunny days, especially if I have a lot of sky in the image. Why? The polarizer will darken the sky in a very non-uniform manner that is hard to correct even in Photoshop.
I often use polarizers on cloudy days and did so on these images. Here is a second image from the bluff area with a narrower angle view.
The gorge contains at least three waterfalls.
To get those images, I was in a place where if I fell I would have died. I do not want to exaggerate the risk as there was not that much danger as long as one is paying attention. It is easy to take a step back or slip if one is not careful.
Similar shots are available from the main trail, but they will have trees blocking a portion of the scene.
Portion of Lower Falls
That’s all you can see of the lower falls from ground level, at least legally. Swimming and wading are prohibited.
I edited out a small portion of one rock where some idiots attempted to scratch their names. The rock is very hard and you have to get wet, so, fortunately, the area is not very defaced.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
Nearby Locations
Devil’s Lake State Park, Parfrey’s Glen, Ableman’s Gorge, and the International Crane Foundation are close by.
Ableman’s Gorge
I have an entire series on the International Crane Foundation. That link will take you to some of them. Look for those tagged “Mish Moments”.
Click on the link for a search, or better yet, scroll through my Mish Moments Home Page until you find them.
I will cover Devil’s Lake State Park and Parfrey’s Glen in subsequent articles.
Please Subscribe: Click to Subscribe by Email.
If you like this article, please share by email or use one of the share buttons beneath the article.
You can also follow me on Twitter! I have both an economic forum and a photography forum.
MishMoments is a subset of MishGEA. Those interested in photography only should follow MishMoments.
Please follow. I do not give away or share email addresses!
Thanks!
Coming up: A second post on Pewit’s Nest them Parfrey’s Glen.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
One of my favorite Midwest spots is Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Michigan upper peninsula.
The park offers 90 miles of trails, beautiful lakes, and numerous waterfalls. It also offers an immense amount of biting insects (black flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other major nuisances).
The best way to avoid these annoying pests (they are worst in June and July), is to go offseason. Fall and Winter are my favorite times. In the Winter the park offers both downhill and cross-country ski trails.
The park has three main sections: Lake of the Clouds (plus the shoreline), the interior, and the river (waterfall) section. This post is on Nawadaha Falls in the river section.
Nawadaha Falls is a waterfall on the Presque Isle River and is located in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Gogebic County, Michigan. The falls have a drop of approximately 15 feet and a crest of 50–150 feet. It is above both Manido Falls and Manabezho Falls.
All of these images are from mid-October. They represent the peak of the Autumn season.
Feature Image Nawadaha Falls
ISO 100 for 0.8 seconds at F16. I used a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at a focal length of 31 MM.
Nawadaha Falls offers opportunities on both sides of the river. The feature image is from the loop trail on the opposite side of the river.
The next image is from the near side of the river, closest to the parking area.
Tips
Waterfalls generally photograph best in bright overcast conditions or in shade.
There is a 2-mile waterfall loop trail that circles the waterfall section. Take it.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
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Porcupine Mountains Images
Porcupine Mountains State Park: Lake of the Clouds
Porcupine Mountains State Park: Presque Isle River, Manabezho Falls
Porcupine Mountains State Park: Presque Isle River, Manido Falls
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MishMoments is a subset of MishGEA. Those interested in photography only should follow the former.
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Coming up next: river reflections then two more waterfalls, one with a long-exposure surprise
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
One of my favorite Midwest spots is Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Michigan upper peninsula.
The park offers 90 miles of trails, beautiful lakes, and numerous waterfalls. It also offers an immense amount of biting insects (black flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other major nuisances).
The best way to avoid these annoying pests (they are worst in June and July), is to go offseason. Fall and Winter are my favorite times. In the Winter the park offers both downhill and cross-country ski trails.
The park has three main sections: Lake of the Clouds (plus the shoreline), the interior, and the river (waterfall) section. This post is on Manido Falls in the river section.
Manido Falls is a waterfall on the Presque Isle River and is located in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Gogebic County, Michigan. With a drop of approximately 15 feet, it is the smallest of the waterfalls on the river. It has a crest between 50 and 150 feet, depending on the river volume. It is above Manabezho Falls and further down from Nawadaha Falls. The name Manido comes from the Ojibway word meaning “spirit” or “ghost”. A view of the falls is easily accessible by trail.
All of these images are from mid-October. They represent the peak of the Autumn season.
Feature Image Manido Falls
ISO 100 for 0.5 seconds at F16. I used a Canon 24-105MM F4 L Lens at a focal length of 28 MM.
Manido Falls offers opportunities on both sides of the river and from the river bed itself.
Manido Rainbow
In late afternoon, on sunny days, Manido Falls creates huge rainbows as the sun sinks in the West. The best time is right before the shadows cast over the river. It takes light to produce a rainbow.
The major problem is contrast. I captured the scene in one shot but it took a bit of work in Lightroom to balance out the highlights and shadows.
You need a longer focal length for this image. I shot the rainbow at 158 mm. My primary landscape images lenses are all too short.
For this image, I used my Canon 100-400 MM F 4.5-5.6 L Lens.
I seldom carry that lens because of the weight. The lens weighs 55 ounces (about 3.5 pounds if you add the weight of the case).
That’s a lot of weight unless you have a strong reason to believe you will need it. In this case, I did. I was familiar with the park. I also knew the main trail in this section was short.
Manido Falls River Level
It pays to explore all of the waterfalls in this section from may angles. That shot was taken at river level by scrambling out on some rock ledges. The river is in shadow but sunlight hit the tips of the trees. This makes an ideal setup for reflections.
Manido Falls River Opposite Bank
This is my favorite angle for Manido. It’s best in bright overcast light, but that is not the light I had. Rather, I took this image in late afternoon after the sun no longer shed any light on anything.
The view is looking straight West.
Tips
Waterfalls generally photograph best in bright overcast conditions or in shade. The rainbow image is an exception.
There is a 2-mile waterfall loop trail that circles the waterfall section. Take it.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
If you like this article, please share by email or use one of the share buttons beneath the article.
Porcupine Mountains Images
Please see Porcupine Mountains State Park: Lake of the Clouds for a glorious set of sunrise and sunset images.
Please see Porcupine Mountains State Park: Presque Isle River, Manabezho Falls for Autumn images of the largest waterfall in the park.
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MishMoments is a subset of MishGEA. Those interested in photography only should follow the former.
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Coming up next: Nawadaha Falls
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
One of my favorite Midwest spots is Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Michigan upper peninsula.
The park offers 90 miles of trails, beautiful lakes, and numerous waterfalls. It also offers an immense amount of biting insects (black flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and other major nuisances).
The best way to avoid these annoying pests (they are worst in June and July), is to go offseason. Fall and Winter are my favorite times. In the Winter the park offers both downhill and cross-country ski trails.
The park has three main sections: Lake of the Clouds (plus the shoreline), the interior, and the river (waterfall) section. This post and the next few will cover the Presque Isle River section.
Manabezho Falls
Manabezho Falls has a drop of approximately 25 feet and a crest of 150 feet, it is the largest of the waterfalls on the river. It is below Manido Falls and Nawadaha Falls. The name Manabezho refers to an Ojibway spirit god. A view of the falls is easily accessible by trail.
All of these images are from mid-October. They represent what you can look forward to.
Feature Image Details
ISO 100 for 0.6 seconds at F16. I used a Canon 100-400 MM F 4.5-5.6 L Lens at a focal length of 200 MM. I seldom use this lens but it does come in handy at times. This was one of the times.
For this waterfall, one needs to zoom in to isolate the best portion of it. Otherwise, you will end up with too much sky or too many unattractive sections of the span.
The composition lends itself to both horizontal and vertical framing.
The focal length on the vertical image is 300 mm.
Tips
Waterfalls photograph best in bright overcast conditions or in shade. Judging from the autumn reflections in the water, this was an image taken late mid-to-late afternoon with some sun hitting the trees and reflecting in the water, but no direct light on the waterfall itself.
There is a 2-mile waterfall loop trail that circles the waterfall section. Take it. This waterfall photographs best from the main parking area side, but Manido Falls, up next, offers opportunities from both sides.
Presque Isle River Bridge Crossing
A scenic wooden bridge crosses the Presque Isle River and there is a nice shot from the middle of it.
Be forewarned, traffic is heavy and it can be difficult to get a shot with no one crossing. That shot was 1.3 seconds at 100 mm which necessitate a tripod. For this length of time, if anyone is moving on the bridge it will ruin the image.
The water is high in this shot, way too high actually. There are beautiful stone carve-outs and potholes that photograph better when the water is low. But when the water is low, it’s also low on the main waterfalls. All in all, more water is better even if less water was better for this one shot.
It’s hard to get calm conditions at this spot. The rushing water makes its own wind. The best approach is to take a couple of frames, one to stop motion of the leaves, and another to enhance the motion on the water and blend them.
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
If you like this article, please share by email or use one of the share buttons beneath the article.
Coming up next: Manido Falls and Rainbows
In case you missed it, please see Porcupine Mountains State Park: Lake of the Clouds for a glorious sunset.
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MishMoments is a subset of MishGEA. Those interested in photography only should follow the former.
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Mike “Mish” Shedlock
There are three nice waterfalls in the Deep Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This post covers the Tom Branch and Indian Creek Falls. My previous post covered the Juney Whank Falls.
The trail to the falls runs along Deep Creek. Trout fishing is excellent in the creek. There are plenty of wildflowers along the trail. My favorite is the Showy Orchis (orchid).
The NPS says the “roundtrip distance to the waterfalls is 1.6 miles. I rate all of the trails as easy.
Feature Image Details
To capture scenes like these you need a long exposure. Depending on how fast the water is flowing, the range may be between 1/4 second and several seconds.
Here is a vertical image of the same scene.
Creating good waterfall images is easy. You need:
You cannot do anything about 2. You have sufficient water or you don’t. In regards to light, you can go on a cloudy day or time your visit so that the waterfall is in the shade when you get there. Bright overcast light is nearly always the best.
Points three to five are in the photographer’s control. A good angle can be a make-or-break affair. Just don’t do anything too silly.
If you are wondering how I got that those images without getting wet, I didn’t. I got wet.
The water was cold and fishermen were catching some big trout at the base of the falls.
Indian Creek Falls
Of the three waterfalls in the area, Indian Creek was my least favorite. I had to crop the image heavily and edit out a bunch of clutter.
Showy Orchis
I am only inches away from that orchid. I used a Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L Tilt-Shift Lens, tilted a bit to keep all parts of the flower in focus. Because the lens is so wide, you can easily see the background in context.
Some would call this a wide-angle close-up.
Instead of using the shift feature I might have done an image stack and get the background sharp as well. In this case, the soft background makes the flower stand out while adding context.
Please check out:
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
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Coming up next: Many varieties of Trilliums. Don’t Miss it!
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Mike “Mish” Shedlock
This is the fourth in a series of posts on Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois. The park is about 2 hours away from Chicago.
I took these images this past week. If you are close by, there is still time to see the park. Peak time is now.
As is typically the case at Starved Rock, and photographing waterfalls in general, the best conditions possible are bright overcast days with little or no wind.
This past week was cloudy most of the time and winds were calm early and late in the day most days.
Continue reading “Starved Rock State Park, Illinois: La Salle Canyon Waterfall in Autumn”
The Emerald Pools trail is an easy hike, but it is uphill to the falls (assuming there is any water flowing). What’s easy for Zion might be described as moderate somewhere else.
During our stay we hiked the Emerald Pools trail several times. On our last hike there was much more water flowing but many leaves had fallen off. These images were after a rainstorm.
Feature Image Details
Using ISO 50 on Canon is a mistake that I was unaware of on the Zion trip. ISO 50 can make shadow details a bit worse. If wind and other conditions permit, ISO 100 is the best choice.
The feature image is a set of several images combined in a manual HDR process using luminosity masks and curves. I cannot say I recommend the procedure as it takes a long time to master. Luminosity masks are very complex to setup for the casual user.
Lightroom has HDR merge, but it did not do a good job on this image. There are HDR programs for a Mac that are highly acclaimed. They will be available for a PC this Autumn.
The software tools use luminosity masks so you do not need to learn them directly.
Starburst Explanation
It is easy to produce a natural looking starburst without filters by positioning the sun on the edge of an object. The star is caused by light bending around the diaphragm blades of the lens.
In this case, I positioned the sun right on the edge of the cliff. One can use a tree branch, edge of a building or any other suitable object.
Some lenses produce better starbursts than other. The 9-bladed Canon 16-35 MM lens produces an exceptional star. Canon’s 14 MM lens only has 4 blades and produces a relatively poor star.
An even number of diaphragm blades provides that many rays. An odd number provides double.
Additional Lower Emerald Pool Image
Other Zion National Park Images
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
Hiking and exploring opportunities in Zion National Park Utah are nearly endless. My favorite time of year is Autumn. I recommend staying in the park lodge, but don’t try to book at the last moment.
Before your trip, the first thing you should do is pick up Joe’s Guide to Zion National Park. It’s free. Joe describes all the major trails and offers recommended hikes.
The Emerald Pools trail is an easy hike, but it is uphill to the falls (assuming there is any water flowing). What’s easy for Zion might be described as moderate somewhere else.
During our stay we hiked the Emerald Pools trail several times. On our last hike there was much more water flowing but many leaves had fallen off. These images were before the rainstorm.
Feature Image Details
Additional Lower Emerald Pool Image
Other Zion National Park Images
Equipment List
Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.
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Mike “Mish” Shedlock
