A Gentle Step Down

Im not sure if ive seen the 'ohter' angles, but honestly, there's just too much 'stuff' in the way here. And i dont know if f/3.2 is a typo or not, but youd certainly want as small an aperature as possible here. Have you tried shooting straight up the cascade? That may have been the 'front' view, but i dont see how the trees would be too much of an issue if you shoot from the middle looking up.
EDIT: ok, i looked at your gallery and i see the angle you're referring too. I didnt comment before but ill comment now: that (previous) angle is much better--its the way to go with this falls. Just get yourself in front of the tree in the last shot--get your feet wet if necessary!

Hi Stan, thanks for your insight.

FYI, there is a fairly steep bank down into the creek. I have gone down there a couple of times (just a trickle at those times from the fall) and come away with some good stuff, abstracts of the creek bed, the old stone bridge above it, etc. BUT, given this is in the middle of nowhere, the fact that I have neuropathy/foot drop, etc., I didn't feel safe in making the hike up and down the bank. And, there is still a bunch of clutter (fallen trees, etc.) that kind of take away the front view even from the bottom.

After a good rain, and someone along for the shoot, I'll try again. Thanks!!

Bill- The head on view is the way to go with these falls. Definitely worth bringing along a friend so you can comfortably get down the bank to capture an image here. It looks like that won't happen until spring, as I'm guessing any color here is now gone? Maybe spring snowmelt will bring these falls back to life?

Hi Joel, thanks, yeah I hate bringing that up, but 3 years ago I'd try most anything, but it's just not smart right now. And yes, the color is very dull right now, even if it rains, it may not be worth the hike down.

I like the diagonal, but that dang fallen tree in the foreground would have tempted me to break out the chainsaw! J/K.
I think overcast is great for waterfalls, as well as many other types of photography.
Checking this scene out... I would try actually getting up close to the fall and shoot sections of it at like 1 second in less light. Wait for spring before stepping back to shoot the whole thing again. Oh, don't forget a tripod and try to set a tighter aperture (f/8-f/11).

Seems like a place very pregnant with potential, Bill. I'm wondering about working this scene more in order to find perhaps more simple compositions that still capture the feel for this place.

Hey Rick, thanks for the advice, I will be back there for certain w/ tripod!!! There is a lot of dead wood around there too. I know it didn't come out great, but I too do like the diagonal for a change.

Just for the hell of it, this is a shot of the creek bed just below w/ the colored rocks and all, when I was actually capable of making it down there.

Bill,

Considering the limited access, I think you did pretty well to capture the scene. I like the diagonal run of the cascades and they show well despite the busy clutter of the woods. I've only visited the eastern US a couple times and only once at this time of the year and I can remember the clutter of trees everywhere! And in that respect, actually, this is pretty open! :-)

My only suggestion other than visiting again when you can with another, would be a crop from the top to eliminate the bright, dull gray sky. I know you would lose some of the falls, but it's amazing how much the color changes and the scene simplifies when that little patch is removed. Just a thought.

Thanks for sharing.

Lon

Thanks Tony, I have shot it a couple times before but the water was a trickle compared to the run that day. But spring should bring a deluge.

And Lon, you are exactly spot on! I fooled around with cropping it but wanted to capture the, almost, entire length of the fall. As far as the diagonal goes, I like that perspective for a different view, because it shows the elevation change a bit better than head on.

So in taking out the annoying sky, would you crop it to take out the top, or bottom of the fall??? Thanks so much for your comments!!