For this image, I’ve zoomed my lens out to just under half of its magnification power. The waterfall more than doubles in size as a result of this magnification. We can begin to sense its awesome power. By cropping the scene in half, I abstract it further. The story is no longer about the canyon or the river. It is now about the waterfall itself and its closest neighbors. I am delighted with the subtle change in lighting here – this is the only one of the six images in this gallery where the waterfall is subordinated by shadow to its surroundings. I am always conscious of light placement when I shoot, and in this case, the light illuminates the foreground cliffs to express the beauty of both its color and its texture. Shadows, meanwhile, soften the pair of cliffs in the background. The huge slabs move diagonally away from the waterfall, and echo the shape of the illuminated cliff in front of them. And for the first time, the stands of pine trees become an integral part of the image – their pointed tops rhythmically repeat the pinnacles of the cliffs that surround them.