Falls for the ND400

I met Michael for lunch Wednesday at Baldwin Wallace, and I’d taken my camera equipment because I was in a shooting mood. Coming off the turnpike at 57, I veered left at the last second and went south, intent on going to Cascade Falls, behind the police station.

(Sorry about the color and graininess of this one. Had the ISO set for 1600 and forgot to check. f/5.6 and the shutter was 1/40.)

Adding the ND400 filter, I shot this from the same position:

(ISO 100, f/6.3, shutter at 3.2 secs)

(ISO 160, f/5, 1/320 secs)

(ISO 100, f/5, 2 secs)

(ISO 500, f/5.6, 1/500 secs)

(ISO 160, f/5.6, 2 secs)

Cascade HDRs

I was out and about in Elyria the other day, and had to pay a visit to the Falls. The sun was out and things looked good for shooting for HDRs.

Summer’s Last Hurrah: Cascade Flora II

 

Something about this ivy? and its color and the way it looked on the stone caught my eye, and kept my attention.

Summer’s Last Hurrah: Cascade’s Flora

When I go out to shoot, I’m looking all around me – up, down, around, and close to the ground. Colors, shapes, shadows, I take it all in. I’ll shoot hundreds of pics at a time, and pick what I think are the best, though I’ve found that my opinion is sometimes not that of others. So, as I continue the “Hurrah” series, these were the most eye-catchting, in MY opinion.

Summer’s Last Hurrah: Cascade Falls

The weekend weather was beautiful. As much as we may all hope and pray, I don’t think we’ll see that kind of sun and warmth again this year. I went grocery shopping and as soon as everything was put away, I had to get out of the house.  So I spent a few hours driving around, and getting this deep funk I was in out of my system. It just happens every now and again, and the best remedy is to go off by myself and just shoot. So the next few posts will be the ‘last hurrah’ and the places and the things I found.

 

 

  

 

 

 

Cascade

I recently was in Elyria at their Home Depot, and since I was close, I stopped by the East Falls. Hoping to see the “picturesque falls”, I forgot about all the rain we’d got then (the beginning of May). So, when I got out of the truck, I heard the roar and knew there would be no pretty pictures. In fact, the falls were beyond angry, they were pretty pissed.

Having a few tricks up my sleeve, not to mention the tripod under the backseat, I thought I’d try to work some magic.

PhotoPhun Challenge: Free-For-All and “Ice” Results

Sorry for the late post, but it’s been a busy week, even the days that I had off. Catching up, we have the results of the voting for last week’s “Ice” challenge. Lisa, Ree and I posted one photo apiece from the LCMP Winter Days Festival, and asked you to vote on them. After the votes were tallied, the results showed that you really liked the icicle photo, which was mine. Thanks so much! Lisa took the ice harvesting shot with the saw, and Ree shot the ice carver.

Due to my realizing on Wednesday (OOPS!!) that I had yet to select a subject for today’s challenge, I called a “Free-For-All”, whatever tickles your fancy, whatever you may have, whatever you’ve got a chance to shoot. Lisa and Ree already (told you I was late!) have some GREAT shots up. Make sure you check’em out, especially Lisa’s lake shot and Ree’s heat-seeking kitten!

I’d been saving this for a photography lesson, so I ‘spose I’ll use it now. Kristen and I stopped by Cascade Falls on New Year’s Eve, we had just left Loomis Camera in Elyria. I started looking for that “perfect” shot, tweaking the shutter, getting used to using it in sports/action and low-light situations. Before I knew it, I had 13 pictures that were fairly similar (I promise I’ll use the tripod next time), and the only difference was the time the shutter was open. I threw’em all into MovieMaker and published it. As the video plays, you’ll see the difference between a 1/60 second exposure, which is the first one, to a one second exposure, the very last. Each successive shot, the shutter is left open just a little bit longer, and you can see that in the property of the water when it hits the rocks at the base of the falls.

The first photo shows some good detail of the water splashing, and as the video plays on, the “white water” seems to get smoother, less bubbly, and more “streaky”. Somewhere in the middle is what I was looking for, with smooth water. Taken in the summer, with green in the trees and surrounding flora, the photo will really jump. As the last few pics fade in and out, the rest of the scene starts to get too bright, and that’s not what you’re looking for. Too washed out.

I know it’s not much, but your exposure time can make that much of a difference. Play with it, learn what’s good in certain situations and remember it. It’ll save you from missing “that” shot that you really wanted, but missed because it was too dark or too blurred. When a bunch of us did Circlefest back in December, I shot a few as soon as we got there, to see how the light was. 1/25 of a second was perfect for inside the musuems, 1/125 to 1/200 was good for outside.

So, practice using that shutter and improve your skills and photos. Take that camera off of Program mode and go out and make some mistakes and learn from them!!

Back to Cascade Park

While I’ve been back to Cascade a number of times, I try to find a new angle, a new spot to shoot from, or putting a new look on something I’ve done before. My “adventure” turned into something of a mild embarassment, and I may tell it another time. Besides getting some shots I was happy with, I did get a bit of exercise and fresh air, too. To walk Cascade Park’s trails and hear the water gurgling over the rocks in the riverbed, and hear the roar of the falls, it is truly an experience.

Just a Little Bit More Water And…

In all the times I’ve been to Cascade Park in Elyria, the falls and the river have been peaceful, kinda quiet. Standing down there, shooting the scenes, the sound of the water bubbling over the rocks, falling from the river above, you just want to sit down at the base of a tree, lean back, pull your cap down over your face and close your eyes.

Ahhh, the magic of Mother Nature, you know?

Well, you add just a little bit more water, and suddenly, She’s not all that sweet!

And the scene below, just under the bridge, is where I shot the peaceful river shot above.

The structure, or part of one, below is what is left of a building that used to produce electricity using the river’s flow. Over the years, it’s been abandoned and begun to fall apart. It’s still structurally sound enough to walk around in, and take pictures. Well, if you look close, the building is flooded.

 

 

And the West Falls, too: