What A Difference A Day Makes!
As any landscape photographer can tell you, Mother Nature can throw you some curveballs. Rain when you wanted sun. Sun when you wanted rain. Weather plays a major role in landscape photography second only to the landscape composition, in my opinion. We watch it constantly and make changes accordingly. Its unpredictability is the reason it's pretty rare for an trip planned well in advance to not have some sort of weather that is not what you had in mind. Most of the time you can work around the weather and still find compositions that you are happy with. But sometimes, there is nothing you can do but wait and hope that the weather changes. That was the case this past fall when photographing Corkscrew falls (Robinson falls) in Boch Hollow State Nature Reserve in Ohio. I had wanted to photograph this waterfall for sometime and finally planned to visit it. Everything was planned including getting the necessary permits weeks in advance. Little did I know that the area would be hit by over 2 weeks of drought before we got there. The first day there I went to scout the area this is the image I produced.
Corkscrew falls, Boch Hollow State Nature Reserve
Not exactly what I had in mind. The place was everything I had hoped it would be but the amount of water trickling over the falls was not doing the waterfall justice. I took a couple of photos and headed back to the hotel. The forecast predicted a rain shower over night so with hope I went to bed.
The next morning I woke up to find in deed it had rained, but the amount seemed insignificant. I only hoped that it had made a difference at the falls. We headed back to the falls and on the trail down you could hear the waterfall, which gave me encouragement that the rain had made a difference.
Corkscrew falls, Boch Hollow State Nature Reserve
What a difference a day made! Not only had the rain increased the amount of water over the falls it had also made everything wet giving the image a much more pleasing look. I walked pack to the car with a big smile on my face and my favorite image from my trip.
Weather conditions can change overnight, so if the conditions are not what you wanted, wait an hour or a day and go back. It might be well worth your time.
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What's Wrong With This Picture?
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As a landscape photographer my number one objective is to convey the beauty of a place and show what the world has to offer. Sometimes that is easily accomplished. If the place is already photogenic you can choose one of a number of compositions and be assured that you will have a nice photo to share with everyone. Sometimes though a place seems to have everything but once you get home you run into that "If only...." moment. Take the picture below of the middle section of Gluggafoss in Iceland. Lovely picture, right? Two tier waterfall (I mean who doesn't love a good waterfall picture?). Lush vegetation in a gorge. The reminder that you hiked up a steep hill and had the place all to yourself. All great reasons for you and I to enjoy this photo, right? If only.... it had a sense of scale.
Middle waterfalls of Glugglafoss, Iceland
How big are the waterfalls? How deep is the gorge? How wide is the river? Hard to tell from this photo, right? Why is that? Because there is nothing in the scene that you recognize with a known or approximate size. Let me set the scene for you. I am standing on the side of sheer cliff approximately 15-25 meters high. You fall off you die. Each one of those waterfalls are themselves at a minimum of 20 meters high for a total drop of around 40+ meters. Did you guess that? Maybe if you know Iceland than you might be able to make a pretty good guess. If not, I think it would be hard to tell. While I still enjoy the photograph I think having something in the photo to show scale would allow viewers to get a sense of what I saw and felt as I stood there.
Now let's take a look at two photos that incorporated something into the environment that can be used for scale, in both cases people. The first is in Death Valley looking out from Zibrinski's Point. Using a hiker in the environment gives you a better sense of just how vast this national park truly is.
A hiker makes his way through Death Valley
Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
The second photo is of Seljalandsfoss, a famous waterfall in Iceland. See the person on the right behind the waterfall. Now you have good idea just how big the waterfall really is. By placing a person or any object that most people can recognize and can estimate the size of in a picture the viewer can get a sense of scale. Now when you say, "that waterfall is huge!" they know what you mean!
Next time when you photograph something and you want your viewers to understand how grand or large something is, think about placing a person or other object in the photograph to show a sense of scale.
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A Must Have for Your Photo Bag. And It's Free!
I routinely stay in hotels during workshops, photography trips and even family vacations. As soon as I enter the room I head straight to the bathroom. No, not because I drank too much coffee on the way, but because inside sometimes lies one of the most under rated camera gear that a photographer can have in their backpacks. A shower cap! Yes, you read that correctly, a shower cap. It is free with the room, weighs almost nothing, takes up absolutely no room, yet can save your camera, lens or both.
Shower cap covering camera and lens during a rainy morning
View through shower cap. You can still compose your image and get an exposure value.
Caught in a down pour? Put the showercap over your camera and lens as you wait it out. Working in a a dusty landscape with a lot of wind. Use the shower cap to keep the lens clear. Getting spray on your lens in between shots? Put the showercap over your lens while you adjust your settings. Shower caps are clear enough to allow you to compose your image and get a decent exposure value while your lens stays free from water drops, spray or dust. They are great to use around waterfalls, oceans or any place where water may affect your shot. So next time you stay in a hotel, be sure to pick up the free photographer's gift in the bathroom.
Iceland Workshop Recap
Iceland. The land of fire and ice. Or as I like to say, "the land of fire, ice, waterfalls, rainbows, unpredictable weather and arctic char". This year Iceland threw more rain at us than usual but, as always, cleared up just enough at the right times to allow for us to photograph the beautiful scenery.
Gluggafoss or Merkjarfoss
How many waterfalls are there in Iceland? I have no idea. But I do know that they are some of the most spectacular waterfalls that I have seen. You literally can not drive for more than 30 minutes without seeing a different one.
Icelandic pony
No trip to Iceland is complete without photographing the Icelandic ponies. They dot the landscape and are easily photographed from right off the road. Many seem to pose for you as if they know what to do for the tourist. This makes getting portraits and detail shots rather easy. However, the environmental shot of an Icelandic pony with mountains or a waterfall in the background and no fence still eludes me.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Make sure to bring out your camera in Reykjavik too, as the colorful houses, great architecture, and people provide a wonderful opportunity for photography.
Rainbow over Jökulsárlón, glacier lagoon, Iceland
Most people's bucket list includes a stop at Jökulsárlón. This year the glacier lagoon seemed almost empty past the front line of ice making its way to the ocean. Global warming? Maybe. Bad timing? Maybe. Either way it's hard to think about this beautiful place no longer existing in the future. Hopefully it's just me being pessimistic.
For more of my images from Iceland, including this workshop, click here. For a list of Jennifer King Photography workshops where I am instructing please click on the WORKSHOPS menu at the top of the page. If interested in other workshops by Jennifer King Photography just click here to check out all the wonderful destinations listed for 2017 and 2018.
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Tripod Tip
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As a landscape photographer my tripod gets put into some harsh conditions. Water, snow, sand, mud and dirt. You name it it has probably been put into it. Yes, even poo.......but that's a whole other story. Needless to say a tripod is one of the most important tools for a landscape photographer so keeping your tripod working smoothly is extremely important. So here is a little tip to help you do just that.
The lowest legs are extended so the water does not touch the leg locks
When setting up your tripod, extend your lowest leg section so that the element you are trying to avoid does not come in contact with the leg locks. During your session, do not collapse the lower section of your legs. This will help keep the bad element from being moved into your leg locks and farther up the next leg section. When done photographing, remove the tripod from the element and dry, wipe, or clean the lower leg section before collapsing the lower section into the next section. Bam! You just saved yourself a lot of time from having to clean grit/dirt/sand/water out from your leg locks. Your leg locks will thank you.
Use the angle stops at the top to lower your tripod while keeping the lower section out
So what do you do if you want to lower your camera closer to the ground? Most tripods these days come with angle stops at the top of the legs of the tripod. Use those to lower the tripod closer to the ground.
If you find yourself in a situation where your leg locks are getting in the elements anyway, such as in deep water or sand with wind, then still follow the same method if you can. Do not collapse your legs until you can clean them or let them dry. Thank you! (says your tripod leg locks!)
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