04-OCT-2018
Rhythms of nature, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho, 2018
This is the first image in a three picture sequence featuring Shoshone Falls, located in the Snake River Canyon just outside of the city of Twin Falls, Idaho. This 212 foot high waterfall is known as the "Niagara of the West," because it flows over a rim that is 1,000 feet wide. At full flow, this waterfall is breathtaking, stretching across the full width of the Snake River. However, I visited it in the fall, when its water level is low, and the falls split into four or more separate drops. Yet in this image, I was still able to capture the fall's energy and beauty by isolating just one section of one of those smaller waterfalls. I move the eye through this image by relating a series of different flows to each other, creating a rhythm of natural forms. I contrast slabs of barren brown rock with a series of spurting water flowing with different force, direction, and color. This is the essence of Shoshone Falls, rather than just a description of it. (The other two images in this series follow.)
04-OCT-2018
Gathering of the birds, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho, 2018
In this, the second image of this three picture sequence, I reduce the waterfall itself to secondary status, and instead feature dozens of birds that gathered at the top, looking as if they were attending a beach resort. The flat light illuminates the textures of the ancient eroded rock, which at other times of the year is usually under tremendous water pressure from a fully flowing waterfall. These birds obviously find some kind of food here, yet exactly what they might be feeding on is incongruously missing from this scene.
Ghost in the falls, Shoshone Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho, 2018
When I am photographing a waterfall, I often will zoom in to isolate a part of the water flow that suggests a human form or interaction. In this, the final image of this three picture sequence, I used a very fast shutter speed to create a lacey effect, and found a ghostly figure on the left. The figure seems almost transparent, and wears a robe that covers the body. This allows the imagination of my viewers to take over the image and make of it whatever they may wish.
08-FEB-2013
Waterfall, The Venetian Pool, Coral Gables, Florida, 2013
Using a fast shutter speed of 1/800th of a second, I am able to freeze a curtain of falling water as it plunged down the face of an artificial waterfall built as a scenic backdrop along side of this famous swimming pool in 1924. The water, stopped in mid-flow, says “now,” but also could have looked exactly like this if stopped in action ninety years ago.
12-AUG-2012
The crash of surf, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Carmel, California, 2012
This collision of surging surf and rocky cliff is magnified by the camera’s ability to freeze droplets hanging in the air, as well as capture the frenzied curve of a wave that seems to perfectly match the notch of ancient rock that awaits it. I like the collision of colors as well – the warmth of the old rock contrasts nicely to the chilly blues in the frothy water. Over the centuries, the constant slamming of water into rock seems to have gradually created the very shape of the base of the cliff itself.
21-SEP-2011
Fountain, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
I used a moment in time to simultaneously freeze both the flow of this fountains spray and a man framed within the arch of the building in the background. My 1/400th of a second shutter speed creates a shower of individual droplets that covers the entire image with a rain-like pattern.
09-MAY-2011
“Woman and Fish,” Scottsdale Civic Center, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2011
This sculpture, by Abbott Pattison, stands upside down in a pond before Scottsdale’s City Hall. I photographed it so that the “V” shaped position of its legs repeats the “V” shape of the fountain just behind it. The backlighting abstracts the statue, turning it into a silhouette. It also allows the light to pass through the shower of water that rises and falls from the fountain, revealing individual droplets that are frozen in time at 1/1000th of a second.
15-NOV-2009
Oak Creek, Red Rock Crossing State Park, Sedona, Arizona, 2009
By mid morning, the Arizona sun turns the churning waters of Oak Creek into a textured road abounding in crinkles, wrinkles, and folds. Magically, the water reflects the colors of its surroundings. The upper left side of this image echoes the green of overhead leaves, while the water at lower right hints of the red rocks lurking just below the surface.
20-JUL-2009
Fountain, Salem, Massachusetts, 2009
A spiraling jet of crystalline water comes tumbling out of a fountain honoring the works of Salem’s Nathaniel Hawthorne. I used a very fast shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to preserve the pattern within the water.
19-JUN-2009
Rogue River Gorge, Oregon, 2009
I photographed this spot again and again, and the light was never the same twice. The water moves across the rocks in an unpredictable way and the sunlight was coming through leaves overhead that were also moving. I wanted this image to be all about fury. The force of the water pouring through this narrow gorge is astounding. I focused and exposed on the brightest part of the scene using my spot metering mode, which makes the shadowed areas darker and more mysterious.
19-JUN-2009
Black and white study, Rogue River Gorge, Oregon, 2009
By going to black and white here, I abstract the image, honing it down to its essentials. I’ve also framed the flow of water over the rocks at the very spot of its greatest impact and force. The light is brighter than in the previous Rogue River Gorge image, allowing me to use shutter priority and select a shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second, the fastest speed I have ever used. The droplets hang suspended in the air, the water streams over the big rock in rhythmic waves, while the background boils in the shadows.
08-NOV-2008
Fountain, Sousse, Tunisia, 2008
The beauty of this image rests in the expression of sculpted exhilaration amidst an explosion of water droplets. Using the shutter priority mode on my camera, I selected 1/1000th of a second, which enabled me to many droplets in mid-flight. The pair of statues are also flanked by two jets of water that are moving so fast that even 1/1000th of a second exposure fails to freeze them, allowing the spouts to create blurred pillars of energy as context.
22-OCT-2008
Sprinkler, Scottsdale, Arizona, 2008
To find moisture in motion on our travels, we need to look beyond just the rivers, waterfalls, and geysers that are so much a part of the natural world. A sprinkler, on the other hand, is man made. While it may not be part of the natural world, a sprinkler’s moving water patterns can also bring meaning to our images. In this case, I photograph two men on a landscaping crew discussing their work in a Scottsdale city park. I shoot the conversation through the falling drops of a sprinkler, a critical tool for everything that landscapers create. The cascade of falling water creates a layer of abstraction here. My 1/200th of a second shutter speed isolates each drop in flight, yet also extends it into a tiny streak of light. The scene is doubly abstracted: the moving water creates a layer of abstraction and so does the man at right, by turning his back to us.
09-OCT-2008
Debris, Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2008
Instead of shooting the waterfall itself, I focus here on its effect. The runoff from the falls cascades through a jumble of boulders, and trees that have toppled into the Gibbon River above the falls. Such is the result of my perspective. This image is all about the tremendous power of falling water, and its impact on the natural world around it.
09-OCT-2008
Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2008
I had last photographed this waterfall in late September, 2006. (See
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/69212132 ) I returned to the same spot two years later, just a few weeks later in the season, and made an entirely different image. I noticed that the huge rocks on the face of the waterfall were now closer to the surface, probably due to a small rate of flow. I zoomed in to abstract the scene, building it around the rhythms of water itself. I converted the image to black and white because unlike my earlier image, this entire photograph was monochromatic in nature.
18-SEP-2008
Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, 2008
One of the most visited waterfalls in the US, Multnomah is very high (620 feet), relatively narrow, and its cliff face is heavily forested. This image takes advantage of all of these features. Using my telephoto zoom lens, I arrange the cascading flow of water from the top to the bottom of my vertical frame, and I suggest the presence of huge trees on the left side of the frame. The power of this image, however, comes through the play of light and shadow on the water itself. The falls are bathed in mist, creating patterns of falling water that suggest a cataclysmic or supernatural event.
13-SEP-2008
Upper Falls of the McCloud River, McCloud, California, 2008
This waterfall is actually a turbulent stream rushing downhill. I express its turbulence by placing it in my frame as a diagonal slice through a lush landscape. The light bounces off the leaves at lower left, skims the huge rock in the middle of the channel, and comes to rest on the opposite bank. I shifted my vantage point to make sure the large leaf hanging next to the rock soared free as if it were a bird, instead of merging it in to the other leaves on shore. It energizes the entire image.
17-SEP-2008
Rapids of the Metolius River, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon, 2008
I use the frothy water swirling around a rock as the anchor and focal point of this image. The river flows towards it, dissolves in fury, and then calms at our feet. The blue water suggests purity, while the green forest in the background speaks of this area as a protected wilderness.
13-MAY-2008
Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, 2008
I made this image, hand held, from the Bridalveil parking lot, using my 420mm telephoto lens. Using spot metering, I underexposed the details in the water so as not to wash out the highlights. The underexposure makes the surrounding cliffs and forest darker and more mysterious than they appeared to our eyes. I wanted the image to go beyond describing the appearance of one of the most famous waterfalls in the world. Instead, I wanted to express the essence of Bridalveil’s energy, beauty, and mystery.
13-MAY-2008
Yosemite Creek, Yosemite National Park, California, 2008
Rather than making a descriptive picture of Yosemite Falls, the highest measured waterfall in the United States, I chose instead to dwell on what happens after a waterfall “falls” by making this closeup of the rapids in Yosemite Creek, which emerges from the base of Yosemite Falls, and flows with much fury into the Merced River. Yosemite Creek is a raging torrent of water slicing its way through a field of boulders down the side of vast slope. I noticed how beautifully the late afternoon sun was backlighting a part of the flow and used that glow as the focal point of this image. My 1/400th of a second shutter speed was fast enough to stop droplets of water in mid-air. I also draw on rhythmic repetition to build a coherent layered image. The large boulder anchors the scene at lower right, while layers of curving water echo its shape in the middleground and background.
16-MAY-2008
Impact, Glen Alpine Falls, Lake Tahoe, California, 2008
I was able to stand very close to the impact point of this waterfall, which allowed me to use my long telephoto zoom to express its explosive appearance in great detail. I anchor the image on the abstracted rocks at bottom and fill the rest of the frame with layers of spray and massive water surges. It was late in the afternoon, and the low angle of the sun illuminates a layer of water droplets that hang suspended in time at 1/500th of a second shutter speed. This image puts the viewer where he or she could never go – into the heart of a waterfall at the very instant when the cascades finally strike the bottom.
21-DEC-2007
Koi, Imperial City, Hue, Vietnam, 2007
Vietnam's Emperor Gia Long built a vast citadel in Hue in 1806. Within it are three other enclosures -- the Civic, Imperial, and Forbidden Cities. The area was devastated during the Vietnam War, but much of it has been recently restored. This pond of Koi Carp feeds below the bridge over the Imperial City moat. The image is not only a study of water in motion – it is also a study of something in motion while in the water, in this case the frenzied movements of a school of Koi Carp. A tourist was feeding them and they rose to the surface repeatedly to feast on the treats. I made many images of this scene to get this emotionally charged image, featuring many open mouths and beady eyes.
24-FEB-2007
Lone fisherman, Kern River, California, 2007
The presence of a single fisherman brings a sense of scale to this image. He stands alone in the fast moving river, encircled entirely by rocks that echo the precarious nature of his perch – a context that implies potential risk and danger. I shot this scene several times in order to catch the arm of the fisherman in a forward position, repeating the lean of the huge rock that hangs just behind him. Many photographers would want to have the entire scene illuminated by sunlight. However, I prefer the half-light I am offered here. The opposite side of the river, though rocky, appears warm and welcoming. But the fisherman remains in the shadows, doggedly making cast after cast from his rock.
28-DEC-2006
Blue and white, Cascades d’Ouzoud, Morocco, 2006
Rarely do we see waterfalls with different coloration from stream to stream. But that was the case due to the intensity and color of the mixed light as is played on the various streams and flows of this spectacular waterfall about 100 miles from Marrakesh. They told us that this waterfall was best viewed in the spring, when it is in full flow. Yet I found it to be spectacular enough in the winter – with a smaller volume of water, the various streams were more distinct, creating a striking pattern of alternating blue and white toned water as it plunged 328 feet into the Canyon of Wadi e-Abid. I used a 28mm wideangle lens for this shot, which extends the amount of flow in the frame and increases the visual energy it generates.
28-SEP-2006
Gibbon Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
Many photographers enjoy photographing waterfalls from tripods at very slow shutter speeds, creating a velvet-like flow of water to express movement. I can’t deny the beauty and appeal of interpreting nature in this way, but this technique, repeated over and over, soon becomes a cliché. I much prefer to shoot hand-held and use a fast shutter speed to stop the action of falling water, allowing the water to take on a variety of contrasting shapes and deliver a wealth of detail to study. This image of Gibbon Falls was made at 1/800th of a second, fast enough to freeze the surges and isolate the gout of water as they make their way down the side of the rocky cliff. I also found vantage point where I could contrast the flowing water to the dry cliff at left, featuring two huge dead trees hanging on to its surface like match sticks. I use my spot meter to expose for the brightest water, allowing the background shadows to turn more of the falls into a deep blue color. I run the image diagonally through the frame, creating a shape like a giant beard.
29-SEP-2006
Lower Falls, Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
The traditional view of this magnificent waterfall is a spectacular vista incorporating the falls into a landscape depicting the Yellowstone River valley itself. (I have made my own version of that image -- you can see it by clicking on the thumbnail at the end of this caption.) This is a more abstract version, emphasizing the sheer force of the sheet of falling water as it plunges past the golden cliffs into the mist shrouded river below. I shoot at 1/250th of second, which replicates what the eye itself would see. It is not a fast enough shutter speed to freeze detail, as in the previous image, nor is it a slow enough speed to blur the fall of the water. I extend the focal length of my lens to over 500mm by reducing the number of megapixels in the image, which crops the image tightly, creating a pressure packed frame that vibrates with energy.
26-SEP-2006
Cascade, Hot Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
A cascade is a small waterfall that falls in stages down a rocky slope. Although at first glance, this image may seem to be a grand view of a vast series of waterfalls, I was actually standing on a boardwalk directly over the cascade, which covers only few feet of space, and using a focal length of about 45mm. It makes a good subject for a “wispy water” interpretation. Using a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/13th of a second, hand-held, I was able to get just enough blur into the fast flowing cascade to evoke a sense of turbulence. It is not quite the silky smooth water one would get with the camera on a tripod and a longer time exposure, but in this case, silkiness would not have expressed the idea I had in mind.
27-SEP-2006
Cone of a geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
Yellowstone has over 300 geysers, two thirds of all the geysers in the world. It is a volcanic area, with superheated magma deep in the earth heating water that seeps into the earth. This forms an underground plumbing system, regularly forcing great gouts of steam through crevices in the rock that erupt as geysers. Castle Geyser has built up a large cone around its crevices, and when it erupts, steam and water gush into view with great force. Using a focal length of almost 400mm, and a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/30th of a second that turns water and steam into a cloudlike curtain, I express the essence of the geyser’s force as an eruption.
27-SEP-2006
Castle Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
Geyser images limited to clouds of steam alone are generally not very expressive. I fell into that trap in Yellowstone – many of my geyser shots, which felt good to make, are actually little more than description. Geyser steam needs color and context to work as expression. In this case, I used a 28mm wideangle lens to create that context and took advantage of the pinkish glow that comes just after sunset to bring a touch of color to the scene. I lead the eye to the geyser by including a good part of the wet terrace that surrounds the geyser. Long fingers of rocky soil on that terrace point to Castle’s distinctive cone in the distance, as a vast column of pink tinged steam explodes into the sky.
26-SEP-2006
White Dome Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
I photographed the eruption of White Dome by back lighting the spout of steam and water against a backdrop of thin clouds. The sun has created a bluish glow that adds an eerie feeling to the eruption. By abstracting the cone of the geyser and the cloud of steam, I show less, and say more, about this unique natural phenomenon. I had the feeling I was photographing a huge whale moving off into the distance, leaving a telltale spout of steam hanging in the air behind it.
27-SEP-2006
Hell along the Firehole, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
The Firehole River meanders through this scene, a ribbon of silver amidst a landscape that appears to be on fire. It is a landscape from Hell. The Firehole is lined by thermal fields emitting heat and moisture. I made this image with my 420mm telephoto at dawn. The cold air and the hot moisture create steam that appears to be golden smoke. The steam shows up best against darkness, and the long lens bring the hill in the background much closer, making it a perfect backdrop.
27-SEP-2006
Steamy chase through Biscuit Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
Half-hidden by clouds of steam from nearby thermal springs, this male elk is chasing another male. It is mating season in Yellowstone, and it is common to see males chasing away the competition. The steam gives the image its energy and its meaning. It abstracts the scene, bringing our imaginations into play. Along with the creek, the steam seems to make the elk work even harder to get where he is going.
26-SEP-2006
Hot Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
Hot Lake, fed by thermal springs, lives up its simple name. When the evening chill arrives, clouds of steam envelope visitors, including this couple, who seem to be trying to figure out how to photograph what they are seeing. For me, this scene was magical, but without the people, it would be meaningless. This image uses moving moisture to throw man and nature into a contrasting relationship. I used a 300mm focal length to reach distance, compressing the steam in the foreground layer, the people in the middleground layer, and the steam and forest in the background layer, into a single perspective.
28-SEP-2006
Palette Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
As soon as I saw Palette Spring at a distance, its brown limestone terraces caught in this powerful ray of afternoon light, I instinctively knew that I had one my most promising photographic subjects of our visit to Yellowstone. I also knew that I had to shoot from this far away vantage point in order to make the most of the angle of the light. If I moved closer, the effect of the light would vanish. Yet I was a long way from the scene, too long for my 12x, 420mm zoom. Fortunately, my Panasonic FZ-50 camera is able to optically extend my zoom range without picture quality deterioration. To do this, I simply cut the size of my image in half – from ten megapixels to five megapixels, and zoomed my lens out as far as it would go. With my resolution reduced to five megapixels, I now had a 17x zoom lens in my hands – making an image equivalent to almost 600mm. It brings me close enough to take full advantage of the angle of light, yet also lets me show key detail right through the steam rising from the cascade of hot water pouring over Palette Spring’s terraces. This image is all about the nature of light, the translucent steam, the diagonal flow of stone and sun, and the coloration of the terraces. It speaks of heat, moisture, and time -- all part of the magic of nature.
19-OCT-2006
Warm duck, Benton Hot Springs, California, 2006
Not only does Benton Hot Springs live up to its name, but it also has a hot lake of sorts – a collecting pond. A large pipe feeds water from an underground hot spring into the pond. I was able to backlight the pipe, and by shooting at a very fast 1/1250th of a second shutter speed, I can stop the spout of hot water as it gushes into the pond. Using a 420mm telephoto focal length, I reach out to bring a distant duck into the image, cloaking duck, pipe, and pond in a hazy golden veil of steam. Seeing an oblivious duck floating in a steaming hot pond makes for a memorably incongruous moment.
19-OCT-2006
Steamy spring, Benton Hot Springs, California, 2006
We arrived in Benton Hot Springs at the perfect moment to interpret its namesake. The sun was filtering light through the trees and the rising clouds of steam from this hot spring, giving this image a delightfully sylvan atmosphere. To make the most of it, I shoot into the light, giving shape to the steam and stressing the rays of light that enter from the top of the frame. I abstract the spring itself, anchoring the image with deeply shadowed rocks, and letting the water flow connect diagonally to the flow of light through the leaves of the overhead tree. The image seems to move moisture in two directions at once.
20-OCT-2006
Lee Vining Falls, Lee Vining, California, 2006
Many of the photographers who were shooting alongside of me when I made this image, preferred to use tripods, filters, and very slow shutter speeds to blur this flow of water, make it silky smooth, creating peaceful, ethereal, almost silent images. I do exactly the opposite here – I take the same waterfall and make it roar with power and energy. I hand hold the camera and use a very fast shutter speed (1/800th of a second) to stop the action of the falls, letting the thunderous flow hang forever in an explosion of frozen threads of water. The image is largely monochromatic, except for the rich golden brown color of the central rock at left. I want to add the hard edge of realism to this image, so I did not convert it to black and white as I did with another waterfall image which you can see by clicking on the link below.
19-OCT-2006
Walker River, Bridgeport, California, 2006
The rapids of the Walker were not particularly beautiful or unique, so I worked instead on juxtaposing the moving water against symbolic context on land. I found a fallen tree lying in deep shadow that seemed to echo the undulations of the flowing water before it. The Walker’s banks are lined with many such trees, caught by its floodwaters and then left strewn along its banks as its waters receded. I devote more space to the shadows that surround the tree, and use the river as context, instead of as subject. The tortured, barren limbs of the abstracted tree attest to the power of the river, and the fury of nature.