A Morning of Waterfalls

This morning I headed to two of my favorite waterfalls with two of my favorite people!  That is Dover Stone Church Falls and Indian Brook Falls with my Mom and my Cousin Marie.  Thank you both for heading out for an early hike with me!  We broke the law..... hehe Dover Stone Church is closed from the recent storms, but it seamed fine so we just trudged on... I was rewarded at Indian brook with a sight I have never seen.  For the first time in five years of photographing this waterfall there was not a tree trunk stuck in the middle of this beautiful waterfall.  Thanks for the great company!  It made a great hike even better.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Dover Stone Church Falls - High Dynamic Range

This morning I went back to Dover Stone Church Falls in Dover, NY. My Cousin Marie and I met up around 8am and headed up to Dover. The overcast skies were promising as they would help to knock down the contrast. Shooting a waterfall in the back of a cave is a real challenge from the lighting perspective. In the past I had gotten good shots, but the bright whites and the dark shadows meant I would have to give something up and I would not be able to show you this little gem of a waterfall in all its glory. The same problem would happen if you shat the stream outside and tried to capture the falls in the cave.

High dynamic range to the rescue. Now I am able show you this waterfall and cave in all its glory. Thanks to HDR Efex Pro software and carefully bracketed exposures.

Thanks Marie for going out early and trecking in the woods with me so I could get these shots.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

More images from Dover Stone Church Falls

I finished editing the images from yesterday's trip to Dover Stone Church Falls. With it being a 101 degrees here today I wish I was back in that cave in the cool air with the water flowing around my feet!

Keep Cool (and Makin' Art)

Carl

Favorites

Dover Stone Church Falls

Indian Brook Falls - Garrison NY

Today with my Friend Mike Malandra I headed to Dover Stone Church Falls and stopped for a few shots at Indian Brook on the way home. These are two of my favorite spots. They did not disappoint! We got some awesome shots. The key for me today to getting good shots was getting in early before the light got too harsh and shooting at a wide angle. Most exposures were for 30 seconds on a tripod.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Sunday Morning Nature Photos

QUESTION: What do two Norwegian cousins do when it is 16 degrees with a windchill of 0 degrees and fresh snow?
ANSWER: Go hiking of course!
I'd like to thank my Cousin Marie for braving the cold and hiking with me to Dover Stone Church Falls this morning. Marie is a really good sport and kept an eye out in case I fell off of an ice covered ten foot wooden ladder getting the shot I wanted. Little did she know a few months ago when she said... "Next time you go there I'd like to tag along." Her only comment the whole way was after we got back to the car when she looked up Dover Stone Church in my guidebook and said "that was only half a mile!" I told her the guidebooks routinely lie about the length of the hikes and we both laughed. Thanks Cuz you made my day! You can come out hiking and photographing with me any time!

This is the view you are greeted with as you hike into the cave at the entrance to the falls. If this had been the only shot I had gotten all day I would be happy!

This is the shot I was hoping to get. Dover Stone Church Falls with ice. The overcast sky really helped me pull this shot off. Otherwise it would have been way too contrasty.

In order to get the shot of the falls you need to climb the ten foot wooden ladder that is covered with ice. This gets you to a three foot by three foot perch that is also icy and barely allows you to setup your tripod... but it is the only way to see the amazing site of the falls.

This shot is not Dover Stone Church Falls, but instead Indian Brook Falls in Garrison, NY. I could not resist the idea of it being the third day of the new year and having hiked to three different waterfalls already so on my way home from Dover I stopped off and took a few shots of Indian Brook Falls. All in all a very good and productive weekend.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

Dover Stone Church Falls in Black and White

I decided to try the shot of Dover Stone Church Falls as a black and White shot. I struggled with whether to do it as the color shot had so many great colors captured in the cave's wet stone walls... But am I glad I tried it the textures and light made a really strong and interesting black and white photo.

Where shall I find a location to top this on Sunday? Maybe I won't perhaps I'll go again much earlier in the day and see what it looks like.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Dover Stone Church Falls - Dover, NY

I took a drive to Dover, NY today. To see Dover Stone Church Falls . I had read about the falls a couple of years ago, but had not had the chance to get there. This spot was well worth the two hours I spent in the car each way. The shots you see here are the initial shots from today's first visit. I will be back again to get 'the perfect shot' when the season and time of day are just right. That said I think this was a beautiful location and I got some great shots. All in all it was an easy one mile walk from my car. There are a couple of ponds on the trail and an egret that is a little camera shy. I will definitely plan to come back and shot that too.

All in all a great day's shooting.

Tomorrow... an early start at a local spot I have wanted to shot for a while and then some well deserved studio time.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl