Exploring Lake Ogwen
A lovely waterfall in Snowdonia National Park, in Wales…
When I was in Wales back in August, one particular area that I wanted to see was the valley around Lake Ogwen, in Snowdonia National Park. All the photos looked lovely and everything I read about the area made it sound just beautiful - and it was all correct. The area is gorgeous and I found all sorts of things to point the camera at. Not the least of which were several waterfalls, such as the one you see here. This was just under the bridge at one end of the lake where is spills into a lower valley.
Flow
A long exposure taken on a trip to Banff National Park, Canada…
I absolutely love to shoot moving water. It’s one of my favorite subjects. Whether it’s a river, a stream or a waterfall, I love all of them. The sense of motion you can capture with a slightly long exposure just adds so much to the photograph. This one I captured in Johnston Canyon, in Banff National Park, in Canada. It was mid-afternoon and we were just hiking in the canyon, but I kept stopping every few yards for another shot. But the river running through there is just gorgeous. Can you blame me for stopping so much? And though I prefer to edit in color, I am continuing to explore creating monochromes, because sometimes they just really work for me, like in this image.
Luminar Workflow: Creating Mystical Waterfalls
I love to go for the dreamy look when editing waterfalls. Here’s how I do that in Luminar.
I do love to photograph and edit waterfalls - they are just amazing. Even when they are small. :-)
If you watched my recent vlog, you know I was out shooting some small waterfalls here at home in Austin. During the video I shared a dozen or so images from that outing. A number of folks asked me to share how I edited the photos, so here’s a video showing how I craft a mystical, magical, sort of fairy tale look to a waterfall photo using Luminar. Enjoy!
Out Chasing Waterfalls: a Vlog from Austin
Here’s a recent vlog from Austin, wherein I chase some waterfalls while also sharing tips about how I like to capture them in the field. Enjoy!
Hey friends, I am doing a bit more vlogging here and there, between all my tutorial videos and have to admit it’s a lot of fun. So here is my most recent vlog, wherein I head out to a local park here in Austin and capture some small waterfalls. With all our recent rains, the creeks are flowing and I am working on my kong exposure skills. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
A hike through Johnston Canyon
A trio of waterfall photos from the amazing Johnston Canyon, outside of Banff, Canada...
A must see spot when you are in Banff!
As you have heard me say before, Banff is magical. That entire area is a dream for photography and nature lovers. Everything is beautiful, and it's all pretty close too. Johnston Canyon is about a 30 minute drive from the town of Banff, and well worth every minute.
As the name implies, it's a canyon with a gorgeous river running through it. You hike a trail alongside the river for about 1.5 hours or so (I can't remember exactly, but it's uphill and you stop every 20 feet for a photo!) until you reach the large waterfall at the top.
This was my 3rd visit there in my lifetime, and I would go again today if I could. There is an interesting view at every turn as you wind your way up the trail through the canyon, following this beautiful river the entire time. Stop and take photos, sit and have a snack, and just enjoy this incredible location.
A walk in the woods
A beautiful little waterfall I found while hiking in New Mexico...
I don't do enough walking in the woods. It's refreshing and interesting and I should do more of it. I captured this image a few years back when we were visiting Red River, New Mexico. It's a great little mountain town and one afternoon we hiked up into the mountains for a while. At some point we stopped for lunch and I could hear water running, which is always a good sign in my opinion. So I clambered down into the small ravine nearby and found this beauty. I straddled the stream with my legs and my tripod and fired away for a while. It was awesome!
Thankfully we still have waterfalls
I had a friend in town last week, and we headed out to shoot this hidden gem in west Austin. It's hard to beat a beautiful waterfall, isn't it?
I think I could shoot here weekly and never get bored! And, I might have to because it's getting hot and dry here in Austin! This won't last all summer.
And yes, this is in Austin, TX!
I love shooting waterfalls - I just find it so satisfying. My friend Mike Boening was in Austin last week, so we met up to get in some shooting. While our primary destination was sunset and blue hour at the Loop 360 Bridge, we met up in time to stop here for some shots first.
I call this "the secret waterfall" because it's a little hidden, but in reality it's quite easy to get to. However, I have never seen another photographer there, not even once. So perhaps it will remain a secret for a while longer!
This is towards the end of Bull Creek, in the greenbelt there, just off Loop 360 on the west side of Austin. The thing I love about it, apart from it's somewhat secluded location, is that it's a pretty nice size waterfall. Now it's not a TALL waterfall at all - maybe 4 feet tall at the highest point. But, it's fairly long, stretching a good 40-50 feet at it's widest section. In other words, it gives you plenty of options for various compositions.
I have shared many photos from here in the past. The most recent was this one, illustrating how I use Aurora HDR to create dramatic waterfall photos (and includes a video, too). And there's this post, showing several different views of this lovely spot.
See what I mean? I go there a lot, because it's just beautiful, fun to shoot, and so close to home. Sort of the holy trinity when you feel the need to take photos, right?
Sure, you can HDR a waterfall!
It seems like most of the time when you see waterfall photos, the person has used a filter to get a really long exposure. That gives them the silky-flowing-water look and generally gives them enough detail in the shadows too. That's a popular technique and a good one. You might not think HDR would work for waterfalls, but I find it works great. Since I shoot brackets nearly every time I fire up the camera, I do the same with waterfalls. Just make sure you get one exposure that is fairly long (assuming you want smooth water).
These are all 3 exposure HDR photos created in Aurora HDR. Due to the lack of color in the scene, I went for a desaturated look in all of these. It just seemed to fit, since it was early evening, but owing to a late summer sunset time, it was still bright out. In other words, there was no dramatic light cascading down here (this spot is sort of in a little canyon and thus doesn't get direct light at the edges of the day).
I shot everything at f/22 to get a nice long exposure for smooth water. And that last photo I converted to monochrome in Tonality, also by Macphun, which is an excellent product for black and white work. It's so fun to use I have started do more and more in monochrome, despite my love of big colors.
Thanks much, have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!
Springtime waterfalls
Springtime in central Texas usually means rain, and rain means waterfalls. We have both RIGHT NOW, and I am out with the camera chasing after them. I captured these shots here in Austin just last week. It felt to me like I was in some other state - maybe Oregon - with excellent streams and waterfalls, and nice comfortable temperatures. So awesome!
Springtime in Austin means waterfalls!
Summer's coming to Austin - run! ;-)
I love Austin, but man the summers here can be brutal. I'm talking about 100 degrees for weeks in a row - with high humidity too - kind of brutal. You just want to stay indoors with the AC cranked up. I generally think about being elsewhere. Sometimes I actually am elsewhere. I'm still working on a plan for THIS summer, so I will let you know. It *should* involve me taking some photographs. ;-)
But springtime in Austin? Well, that's a different story entirely.
Austin is like a completely different place in the springtime. I love the spring here. It's nice outside, and you can stay out for a whole day if you are so inclined. The days are warm enough, but not yet hot. You might need to wear jeans out to dinner (not that it's required anywhere, but it might get a little chilly). Oh, and we often get rain (YAY!). We're always grateful for rain, believe me.
Rain is the thing, you see. Not only does it give us some nice green grass and those oh so famous wildflowers, but all of our creeks start rocking, and guys like me get out and photograph them. It's not something we can generally do year-round, so you have to act fast. I try and do so every spring. Plus, I just love waterfalls.
Can you blame me?
I feel like I am in Oregon when I'm out shooting this, but it's only 10 minutes from my house. I can do this on a whim (which is exactly what led me here last week). I don't need a multi-hour photo excursion or a lot of planning to make this happen. I just grab my stuff and go, and I'm clambering over rocks and down the trail in 10 minutes. Can you beat that?
My daughter, who is 13, is interested in photography. So I recently purchased her an Olympus OMD EM-10, which is a pretty nice camera. It's got some great features and is something she will hopefully get to spend a lot of time on (and it's great to have a sidekick!).
So one evening last week, we headed over here after dinner, hoping for some waterfall shots and crossing our fingers for a decent sunset. Luckily, we got both in spades, and she was hooked. Today you get to see the waterfalls - I haven't had enough time to work on the sunset shots yet, but I believe they will turn out pretty nice. You'll just have to come back and see, ok? ;-)
And by the way, I recently published a lengthy, detailed review of Aurora HDR Pro, which is something you may have already heard about, or perhaps you read one of my previous posts about it here on the blog. It is such an incredible piece of software and it has really blown me away. I have changed (and simplified) my workflow in light of this, and all of today's shots were processed in Aurora. All are 3 exposure HDRs. And rather obviously, I was experimenting with some different looks between these photos. I think the top one is still my favorite. You?
You can find my Aurora HDR Pro review here. I would love your feedback on it!
And before I forget to mention it, this is from the Bull Creek Greenbelt in Northwest Austin. Such a great spot!
All the rain in Austin
I've got waterfalls for you today! As you have probably heard on the news (even nationally), Austin has been hit with a serious amount of rain and flooding lately. While there have been tragic events due to the flooding, the silver lining is that we are getting our lakes filled back up and our creeks have water in them - both of which are badly needed. Today I share a collection of pics from a recent outing here in Austin, when I went out to shoot some waterfalls!
We have had quite a bit of rain in Austin lately!
I do love Austin, but man the summers are hot and dry - and they have been especially dry over the last few years. We've been in a serious drought for quite a while, and no one was really expecting us to make up a large part of the difference any time soon.
Then the storms hit central Texas. And they hit HARD.
And admittedly, they have been tragic in many ways. There have been incredibly sad reports of houses floating down rivers - with the families in them - and there are still people missing. People have lost their belongings, their homes, their lives. It's terrible, and I feel for them all.
But I suspect you did not come here for an update on the central Texas flooding.
As a photographer, I look for the beauty all around me (and obviously am not belittling the terrible experiences that some are having). Not everyone finds the same things beautiful, and that accounts for our differences in taste. But I think everyone loves the look (and probably the sound) of flowing water, and who doesn't love a waterfall?
In other words, there is a silver lining in all the recent rain we have had here. In addition to our lake levels rising considerably (though our largest local lake, Lake Travis, is still about 18 feet shy of being full after rising over 30 feet recently), even the small local creeks are flowing well. The water is everywhere, even in the "wet weather only" spots. It's great to see water flowing in our creeks again.
My favorite local trail/creek system is Bull Creek, which is near my house and the subject of all of today's photos. When I go out for a trail run (which needs to be more often, Jim!), this is where I go. We go here on family hikes too. It's a wonderful little spot. Not too small to be easy, but not too big to be overwhelming. I have been here so many times that I feel like it's mine. It's my home trail. It's my go-to.
Do you have a spot like that too?
So the other morning I headed out, intent on getting some photos of the waterfalls there. It was an overcast day - as most of them have been lately - and I knew it would be great for photographing the water. I never want bright sunshine when I shoot, and especially don't want it reflecting off the water. That's hard to work with, and sort of ruins the photos for me. Ok, totally ruins it. :-)
I also slapped on my variable ND filter, and just did the long exposure thing on all of these photos. I know it's a bit of a cliche when photographing moving water, but that's only because it looks so good. Everyone does it because it kicks ass. Right? So I did it too - cliches be damned! Besides, you have to shoot what you want and how you want to shoot it, every time you go out. You have to please yourself first. I've done waterfalls without the long exposure, and they just don't look as good to me.
Most of these are 15-50 second exposures. With the filter and the overcast day (and in some spots I was under trees, further darkening the scene), it just worked out really well. Or at least it did in my opinion - but it's what I wanted to do, and frankly I was just happy to be out shooting!
Hope you enjoyed the tour of my favorite local Austin trail, and please send some good thoughts/prayers/whatever you believe in to those who have lost so much in the recent floods. I've been really fortunate that no one in my family has been affected, but so many have. My sympathies are with those families.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Portland's Japanese Garden
This Japanese Garden in the heart of Portland, OR is absolutely gorgeous! I spent some time there with a few friends a couple of years ago (yep, Jim's a little behind in processing my pics!) and boy did I ever come back with some winners! Sadly, it's taken me over 2 years to get around to sharing them...but finally...here they are! Hope you enjoy the view!
This is one gorgeous place in the heart of Portland, OR!
I was lucky enough to make it to the inaugural NXNW gentlemen's photo trip back in 2012, wherein we popped up to Portland, OR and shot like crazy over a long weekend. It was awesome, but sadly the timing hasn't worked out for me since, so I have missed all the other trips.
The gents are planning one for later this summer right now, and once again I am committed to be elsewhere at the time, so once again I will miss out. But, I will be in Europe so I won't complain. I do love going to Europe (and in fact just spent last week there, in Copenhagen, and collected about 3100 new photos. Whew, lots to do!)
Anyways, all this email banter about the upcoming trip sparked my interest to go back into the archives (which I have been doing a lot lately, anyways) and see what else from that Portland trip remained to be processed.
The answer? A LOT!
I took over 2000 photos on that trip, and have processed barely a fraction of them. It's the same thing I have been saying here a lot lately - that most of my photos are sitting in the library collecting virtual dust.
But that's changing.
It's one of my goals this year to process as many pics as I can find time for. Some of them become blog posts here - and some do not - but they all go onto my Flickr stream as well as on my portfolio site (since making them visible/searchable is the point).
So recently I got into that collection from Portland, and started on these shots from the Japanese Gardens there, which are absolutely beautiful. We spent a couple of hours there on our first afternoon, and I loved it. We all did. How could you NOT love a place this beautiful?
Well, enjoy the views today and come back soon for many, many more photos, as soon as I get them processed!
The San Antonio Riverwalk
Have you ever visited San Antonio, TX? It's very beautiful, especially the Riverwalk area, and especially at sunrise when there are no tourists in the way. Have a look...I think you will enjoy these. Oh, and I toss out a 5 year old sunset photo too, since I had forgotten about it. No time like the present!
Have you been to the San Antonio Riverwalk? It's beautiful!
I grew up in San Antonio, TX - or at least I partly did. I'm an Army Brat, which means my family moved around a lot while I was growing up. Maybe that's where I got my love of travel. Hmmm.
Anyways, I moved to SA in the middle of the 5th Grade, and finished out High School there. It was a good place to grow up, though I was ready to move on when High School was over. As my Mom puts it, I have "itchy feet". I just like to move. Of course, I guess I didn't get far, since I just went to Austin - but I have been making up for it ever since! Anyways...
Sunrise at Casa Rio along the Riverwalk
As a kid growing up in San Antonio, I didn't really love it. It was a fine place to grow up, but I wasn't inspired by the town, so to speak. However, as a photographer, I have developed a greater appreciation for San Antonio. When I lived there, I never thought in photographic terms, but the city is quite beautiful. The Riverwalk, which is a network of walkways lining the San Antonio River throughout downtown, is a prime example. It sits one level below the street, so you are shielded from the noise of traffic, and can amble along and enjoy all the shops, bars and restaurants. It's purely pedestrian, which is great.
In particular, I recommend you get up early on a Sunday morning and get out to shoot it. Even if you aren't a photographer, get up early and walk around down there. It's very peaceful at dawn - quite a contrast to the rest of the day! As you can imagine, it gets incredibly crowded during the rest of the day and night.
On a recent Sunday morning, I did just that and went out to shoot it. I basically had it to myself, which was fabulous. There's nothing quite like wandering a normally crowded tourist destination and being able to take photos without a bunch of tourists in the way. It's awesome. I try and do that no matter where I travel. There's nothing like the silence of a city in the wee hours of morning.
This is an iPhone shot from that morning. Not bad, right? See all the tourists? Me neither! :-)
So today's photos are from a few spots along the Riverwalk that I found pretty enough to capture and share with you (and believe me, I have plenty more to share). The waterfall and fountains in the photos down below are at the Hyatt Regency, but you have to walk through the hotel (away from the Riverwalk) to get to them. It's worth it.
When you are done, you can pop up to street level, cross the street, and see the Alamo while you are at it. I'm just trying to make it easy for you! And yes, the Alamo is worth a visit, even if it's at sunrise and it isn't open yet. In fact, that's the best time for photography. You can just stand there in Alamo Plaza and imagine the history that took place. I feel like I can do that when it's just me. When it's crowded, not so much.
And below is a photo I took almost 5 years ago from Casa Rio (the subject of the first 2 pics up above). I just ran across it in my library, and had never processed it. I figured I would toss it out there with this post, seeing as how the RAW files have just collected dust for 5 years. It's good to get photos out of their dark storage compartments and let them see the light of day! Better late than never, right? :-)
A photo of sunset from Casa Rio, along the San Antonio Riverwalk - taken in November 2009.
So enjoy this little tour of a small slice of the San Antonio Riverwalk. It's well worth a visit, and an early rise one morning, to check it all out. And while all of these shots are from one small section of it, the Riverwalk actually continues for quite a long ways. I'll be back another time with more shots for ya. Have fun out there!
This is the Alamo, in case you didn't remember it. Haha, see what I'm doing there? And this is sunrise. No tourists!
A waterfall in the woods
How about a little waterfall that I found by walking OFF the trail? I recommend that when hiking. If you hear running water - go look for it! You might find something beautiful.
Doesn't that just sound nice?
I love waterfalls - but that's not exactly a revelation. I shoot them when I come across them, which isn't too often, considering I live in Texas. It's not like we are famous for that sort of thing. I'm not sure what we're famous for, other than barbeque. But that stuff IS good.
Anyways, we all love waterfalls. I think it's a combination of the motion and the lovely sound, but I'm no psychoanalyst...I just take pictures. I personally also enjoy the effort that usually comes with getting to them. Often it requires a hike, which is always good for the mind and body. Then when you get there, in addition to the pleasing beauty, you get that pleasing sound and sight.
So the family took a trip recently up to Red River, NM which is a quiet little mountain town. It's beautiful there. I asked a local about any "awesome waterfalls" that he knew of (this was a hiking and fishing guide, mind you), and he said there really weren't any. Hmmm.
One afternoon we hiked up to Middle Fork Lake, which is about 2 hours one way (it's a gain of about 2,000 feet in elevation, ending at nearly 11,000 feet up). On the trail during the hike, there is a creek that the trail sort of follows the whole way. You can't always see it or hear it, but many times you can (and you cross it a few times too).
Whenever it was near enough to hear or see, I kept heading off into the woods to get a closer look. I knew there had to be some nice waterfalls. There's no way a creek comes all the way down a mountain without SOME waterfalls...even if they're not big.
So, this is what I found on one of my off-trail explorations. It's not large, but I sure thought it was pretty. These are both single exposures shot at a tight aperture (around f/22 if I recall) and I also used my ProMaster Variable ND filter. Those two in combination allowed me to drag the shutter for a bit (it was mid-day and thus pretty bright out) and get that nice silky water effect that we all love. Or at least I love it. I hope you do!
Hug Point
Waterfalls and sea caves and beaches, oh my!
Have you ever seen The Goonies? It's a great little movie from the 80's about some kids who end up searching for pirate treasure. It's awesome. I absolutely love that movie. They go on a grand adventure, end up in sea caves along the coast, and generally do all the things I wished for as a kid.
It was all filmed in the northern Oregon area, around the town of Astoria and along the coastline near Cannon Beach. Whenever I am in the Cannon Beach area, that movie is on my mind in a big way.
My first shot of this gorgeous scene! I loved this place!
I was first here years ago, returned about 2 years ago with some buddies on a photo trip, and most recently was here back in March. Surprisingly, this was the first time I had ever heard of Hug Point. I'm still apologizing to myself for that! Look at what I had been missing!
This park (or State Recreation Area, to be exact) is not large but it packs in a lot of awesomeness. Just drive south of Cannon Beach for a few minutes, and the parking lot is right off the road. A short walk gets you to the beach. I recommend going right when you get to the beach, and walk around the large rock outcropping you will see there. Hopefully you are there at low tide, or else it may not be passable. I got lucky in that regard, as I never thought about it or checked the tide tables.
A closeup of the waterfall and caves. Yes, I went in the caves, but no treasure, darn it!
Once you get around that bend, you are confronted with the scene that I am showing you today. I didn't see much about this online, and when I arrived I just took a guess and went to the right. Fortunately the tide was out and I could walk around the bend a ways. When I saw this, I starting screaming! Thankfully we were the only ones there. :-) I sounded like a schoolgirl, I'm sure. I was as giddy as one, that's for certain!
I just love stuff like this. It makes me want to be a kid again, and wish I was in a pirate-treasure-hunting movie too! Doesn't that sound fun?
Be honest - don't you want to go see this?
A little wider than the 1st shot, showing more of the waterfalll.
One more from Bull Creek
Thought I would share another photo from Bull Creek here in Austin today. (Because I have a million of them!) The water is moving really nicely these days - makes me long for shorter, cooler summers so we could enjoy it year-round. Plus let's be honest here - the summer is brutal in Austin. It's so dang hot, and seems to last forever. We have to enjoy the awesome stuff like this while we can!
But alas, cool summers here are not to be, so I have made a point of getting out and shooting it a LOT over the last couple of months. Plus, it's just beautiful and I enjoy being there. It fills my soul.
This is the "big waterfall" at Bull Creek, just after it passes under Loop 360 (for those of you familiar with the place). It's a cool spot, and one I have ran by, walked by, and photographed a lot over the years.
Hope everyone that celebrates Christmas enjoyed their holiday yesterday! Thanks for stopping by today!
Flowing
I love Bull Creek in Austin - it's near my home, and it's a great little greenbelt/trail/park kind of thing. I especially love it when there has been rain, like now. All the waterfalls are just rockin' right along. That makes me happy.
This was a single exposure instead of an HDR. I love to shoot HDR as you probably know by now, but with waterfalls I am about 50/50. I find that at least half of the time I just go with a single exposure. This one was f/13 at about 2 seconds. Sometimes the simple approach is best.
Click to display in a lightbox!