Photographing Rivers, Streams & Waterfalls

In scenic photography most photographers will prefer to photograph moving water in such a way that the water appears very smooth and silky .. almost like a veil if you will. It might even take on a misty or cloud like appearance. Others might prefer to capture the moving water as if frozen in time .. very bubbly looking in it's appearance. The way in which you choose to photograph such a scene is of course up to you and how you want the viewer to perceive it. On occasion I will photograph the moving water as if frozen but most often I prefer the photograph with a smooth, silky, mist like appearance. For me it provides a bit more dreamy look if you will. And in this hectic age, having time to dream is a good thing, is it not?
My intent, in this article, is for the amatuer outdoor photographer to explore ways in which to capture that water as he or she wants the watery scene to appear to the viewer. That said I will help you to explore several such approaches in this article.
To start with, let us take a look at perhaps the simpler method of the two .. that is .. photographing the water as if frozen in time. To do this we need to think .. FASTER shutter speed. A typical dslr (digital single lens reflex) camera today, such as a canon T4i or Nikon d5100 to name a few, has inside the camera box, "two" shutter curtains. During picture taking the first curtain opens, the scene is captured on the digital sensor, immediately followed by the closing of the second curtain. At this time, both curtains reset and prepare for the next photograph to be taken. A typical amount of time these 2 curtains are open, exposing the sensor, is about 1/60th of a second. The faster those curtains open & close, the better is the chance of moving water appearing to be standing still or frozen in time. As an example, the first photo here shows a recently photographed waterfall (in NC) with the shutter curtains operating at a somewhat faster rate, in this case 1/80th of a second. Again, the faster I achieve or set the shutter speed, the more still the water appears. You can let the camera chose the shutter for you (set your Canon in "Av" mode or Nikon in "A" mode) .. OR .. you can select the speed yourself (set your Canon in "Tv" mode or Nikon in "S" mode). If you set it yourself, the camera will then choose an aperture for you. I will not get into depth of field or ISO settings in this article as time & space does not permit it. I will assume you are familiar with both aperture & ISO functions. Photographs such as these can be taken "hand held", especially if your lens features image stabilization (IS for Canon or VR for Nikon). A tripod is not necessary in spite of what you may hear. All of this assumes you are familiar with proper focus & exposure techniques.

The second method I mentioned above is a bit more tricky .. making the water silky & dreamy. For this technique you will most definitely need a tripod / a remote camera trigger / a ND (neutral density) filter. Other options include a split neutral density filter and/or polarizer but I will not pursue that here.
The main goal here is to get that shutter speed way down slow. Typically I like to have it work at about 1/2 second or so in duration. That means the time between the 2 curtains is indeed a full 1/2 second of time in which the curtains are fully open. It is in this extended time frame that the moving water will appear as a blur on the camera sensor. This next (second) photograph shows the same scene but with a shutter time of  0.6 seconds exposure .. slower than 1/2 a second. You can clearly see the difference in the first 2 photographs here.
Once again I am going to assume you are familiar with proper focus & exposure techniques for a scene such as this. Moving on, the camera should be setup on a tripod. If the lighting is bright, you will need to add a ND (neutral density) filter onto the face of your lens. It's purpose is to block some of the incoming light which will in turn allow for a slower shutter speed. It will NOT change your color so don't worry.

TURN YOUR IMAGE STABILIZATION OFF on the lens. Most lenses, when tripod mounted, get fooled with regards to stabilization & can actually cause the photo to become blurry. If you focus with your shutter button, be sure to turn the AF off (after focusing) so it doesn't refocus when shooting. This is one reason why I truly recommend back button focusing. Go into your camera's menu & be sure to activate "mirror lock up" (some cameras have an external button for this). In this way, when taking the shot, the mirror swinging up won't jiggle the camera while photographing. In most cameras this means first pushing the remote trigger button to get the mirror up (you can use one wired or wireless - plugs into side terminal of camera) to get the mirror up .. THEN .. pushing the trigger button again to take the actual photograph. You do NOT want the camera vibrating during the shot or it will cause blurring of the photo. Just remember to deactivate mirror lock up when done with this project !!!

By the way, you can see in this 3rd photo that I am using a wired remote camera trigger. I do NOT touch the camera during shooting as it may jiggle the camera! Your resulting photo will resemble the 2nd photo above in this article.

If you are a novice/amateur photographer looking to improve your outdoor photography (or indoor too if you are interested), please go to my website, www.stochlimaging.com to learn more about private or group tutoring and/or workshops.

You might also like to visit our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stochl-Imaging/114112888779749

I hope this little article has helped in some way and inspired the budding photographer to go out and explore these ideas. Time & space kept me from providing more detail but at least it will give you an idea to start with and perhaps encourage you to do more research (or contact me for tutoring).

In the meantime, I wish you the best in your future photographic endeavors ... HAPPY SHOOTING !!!

Spring of 2013 ... Down In The South

Knowing that winter would get the best of us, we planned a new timesharing  trip (through RCI) to the South. After much research for photographic opportunities, we decided to locate ourselves in the SW corner of North Carolina. We stayed @ the Wyndham Resorts in Sapphire NC. The timeshare property, and unit we stayed in, were very nice but the surrounding scenery was breathtaking. As soon as you drove out of the complex, you were surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys. Unfortunately Spring had not taken full effect down there, nevertheless the overall feeling was one of beauty and the planet seemingly coming back to life (compared to winter in Rochester NY anyway).
The area is also rich in many creeks, streams and waterfalls. Included in that listing was the gorgeous area known as Whitewater Falls, a 411 ft drop of water (the Whitewater River) plunging down into the Jacossee Gorge region. It is the longest waterfall drop East of the Rocky Mountains. It literally cascades down through the mountainous region until coming to the foot of the gorge. It can be found in the Sapphire / Toxaway area of North Carolina off of Route 281. While this must be a beautiful site anytime of the year, including Spring we are most anxious to return to the area, probably in the Fall of 2014 to capture it again in all of its Fall color glory.
Dipping into South Carolina one day (we hugged the borders of NC / SC / TN), we ventured into Pickens SC where we had the pleasure of touring Table Rock State Park. It encompasses over 3000 acres of beautiful territory including bordering the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Built in the 1930's, and part of the Lower Cherokee Nation, it had a damn constructed so as to hold in Pinnacle Lake, which is often used for swimming, boating & fishing. We were fortunate in that, on the day we arrived, we had a gorgeous sky. As you can see here, this led to a beautiful reflection of the area off the surface of Pinnacle lake. This is yet another area I must revisit some Fall season.
One day, while visiting the local Gorges Park, a volunteer worker (Lynn) informed us that Rt 441, which cuts through the Great Smoky Mountains, had opened after 3 months of reconstruction. It had been shut down in previous months due to an area landslide which washed out part of the road. I was thrilled to find out we could now get through. Having spent a prior trip on the western side of the mountains, it was my intent to enter from the East this time but of course revisit the whole area.
Once entering we stumbled on an original grist mill, the Mingus Grist Mill. It was constructed in1886, and what makes this mill different is that it does not employ the conventional water wheel. Instead it utilizes a long, water bearing trough which disappears under the building and powers a simple turbine device. This in turn was used to grind corn. We were able to tour inside and was greeted by a guide. It actually felt, just for a moment, like we had gone back in time. Looking at this made me realize just how fortunate we are to live in the high tech world of today (well .. sometimes lucky .. I won't include the idiots I saw on the parkways texting while driving).
From the mill we decided to drive up to Clingman's Dome (via what else .. Clingman Dome Road), a point over 6000 ft up and offering a 360 deg. view of the entire Greater Smoky Mountains. The passage is understandably closed during the winter months. The actual trek up the road is about 7 miles. Once there you can park & take in the vista. However if you are of tough stock, you can walk the 1/2 mile steep paved walkway up to the tippy tippy top .. the Dome itself. It isn't enough that you are gasping for breath upon arriving at the top ... BUT ... you now have to walk up a curved, inclined ramp to get to the actual observation tower. Although we had cell phone service, good news .. we did not have to call 911. It was freezing up there .. mid 50's at the base of the Smoky's that day BUT 27 deg. F at the Dome !!! If that wasn't enough, it was very windy up at the Dome also. Needless to say .. I grabbed a couple of panoramic photos and then quickly proceeded down the ramp .. eventually back to the parking lot. I have to admit though it was worth the hike. The 360 deg visa was something you have to see. Being hazy, it does not lend itself to ideal photography but that's ok. You truly have to be up there & see it with your own eyes to appreciate its awe and beauty.
Time for lunch .. so off we went back down to one of our favorite towns, Gatlinburg TN. We had been there in the Summer of 2007 but was awfully hot & humid. This time it was a clear, crisp & sunny day with temperatures hovering near 60 deg F. Going back into the Smoky's we grabbed a few road side stream photos but of particular note was a spot called THE SINKS.

 It is located just inside the Western portion of the Smoky's about 11 miles from the visitor center off of Little River Road. The Little River runs swiftly through the area, under a bridge, then makes a sharp turn. Visitors can park there and hike around. Crossing the river on foot over rocks is dangerous & 1 lady drowned there years ago. We, from the safety of the shoreline, was able to procure several standard and panoramic photos of the rivers as it blasts it's way over the rocks. Directly above is a thumbnail of what will be a 34" x 10" panoramic print, which we do sell.
Needless to say, in spite of several rainy days & closures, we had an adventurous trip. As I'm sure many of you will agree .. even a bad day of photography is better than a good day at work. That said .. I praise the Lord that my wife and I are retired and, at the moment, healthy enough to enjoy it.

Too see the full collection of photos from this trip (and many others) please visit our website ...
www.stochlimaging.com

On a final note I have to mention that if any of you should ever be lucky enough to visit or stay in the area of the Wyndham Resorts in Sapphire NC, you absolutely must stop in at a charming little restaurant right there in the complex (which is just off Rt 64). It is called the FOUR SEASONS GRILLE. It is owned and operated by our new friend Natalie & her husband. The food is OUTSTANDING and man is there PLENTY of it. If you have a hearty appetite I can think of no better place. If that isn't gratifying enough, there prices are rediculously low considering the GIANT portions you get. If you ever happen to be down that way check it out .. the Four Seasons Grille @ 217 Valley Rd in the Sapphire Valley of NC.

2013 Craft Show Season

It is that time of year, over here at STOCHL IMAGING when we begin our final preparations for the 2013 craft show season.

Hop over to www.stochlimaging.com and there you will find our ART AND CRAFT SHOWS page. You will see a somewhat detailed listing of the Rochester NY area craft shows we have been approved for, or are pending. UPDATE: We have learned we are @ booth # 72 for both Lilac craft shows !!!

These shows include the Lilac Festival (both weekends), Fairport Canal Days, Corn Hill Arts Festival, Park Avenue Arts Festival and finally the Brockport Arts Festival. Be sure to check out the above mentioned page on our website for more information. As time goes on, we will add our exact booth assignment locations to the ART AND CRAFT SHOWS page.

We really hope to see you at the shows. We have many beautiful photographs to share with you as you can see by the photo of our tent above.

Perhaps we would have a photograph or two that might fit your needs for decorating your home. Some folks buy them to pass on as gifts. Whatever your need, I'm sure we can provide you with great photos.

Here are several examples of some of the beautiful photography that we have for sale. This particular photo is a 5 photo panoramic of  Rochester NY's .. HIGH FALLS DISTRICT .. it shows the passing through of the Genesee River in addition to Kodak in the background.

We truly hope that you can stop by one or several of our craft shows and check out our great collection. Of course they are not our only photographs. Be sure to go to:  www.stochlimaging.com  and proceed to the GALLERIES page .. then drop down to the "Scenic photo sales" section. You will find the above photo and many, many other pictures taken from the Rochester NY area as well as from around the United States.

This second sample photo is a twilight photograph taken during summer at Rochester NY's Frederick Douglas Susan B Anthony Bridge. It is located just South of the city in the Corn Hill Village section. We are standing parallel to the Genesee River looking North. There are several restaurants, shops & apartments just off to our left in this photo.

It should be noted that you do not have to attend a craft show to order photographs. Any photo viewed in the "Scenic photo sales" section, on our website, can be purchased via the Shopping Cart. If you prefer, go through our website's CONTACT section OR just drop us an email regarding what it is you would like to purchase.

Finally, if you would rather, feel free to give us a phone call. We would love to talk to you regarding your photographic needs.

One last thing .. we do accept all major credit cards including VISA, MASTER CARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS and DISCOVER.

Have a great start to your Spring season and once again, we look forward to seeing or hearing from you. Until then, stay healthy and thank you so much for considering STOCHL IMAGING.

Check out STOCHL IMAGING on Facebook !!!