Mechanics Falls

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 10, 2011228 views11 comments

We lived in south central Tennessee for six years and this was a favorite place to go. It is call Short Springs and is near Tullahoma, TN. It is not a spectacular place, but it is intimate. This is Mechanics Falls. Depending on the season the falls can have several different looks. This day I had a lot of time to experiment and shoot the falls from a lot of different angles. I will probably post several of the images. All comments are welcome and appreciated. I would especially like your input on the comp and the use of shutter speed.

Canon 30D
Sigma 17-70
Aperture Priority
Shutter 1 second
Aperture f8
ISO 100
70mm
tripod
Full frame
Curves

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on March 10, 2011 at 11:23 AM

Pretty shot Richard. I think the shutter speed is very good. I might have tried 1/4 and 1/2 sec. exposures as well though and pick the best one. I love the vibrant green moss color - looks so cool and pleasing. As for the comp, I wish there was a little more room at the top (or slightly less). I say that because there's that one rather bright spot right at the top that attracts my eye. I would like to either see more of that, or less.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on March 10, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Richard, I like the 3 subtle layers, shadowed bg, smaller drips and the main part of the falls. I think there is a little more room contrast adjustments in main falls. Lots too view in the shot!

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Richter on March 10, 2011 at 11:45 AM

Richard, this image has a great impact on me, the composition showing motion and steadyness at the same time. The green shades have a fine natural look, I especially like the detailed texture of the mosses on the foreground. It is my personal favorite of your shots posted on NPN!

Peter

Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on March 10, 2011 at 12:16 PM

Beautiful lines in the water and falls, Richard. I think the timing worked quite well. My eye keeps going to the black areas on the left. I wonder how it would look if you cloned in some of the greenery so it wasn't quite so black?

Carol

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on March 10, 2011 at 2:50 PM

Hi Richard. I like the comp. I feel a little like Bill in that I would have sped the shutter up just a tad. I like the look of motion without getting fuzzy. Just my taste though.

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by Rodrigo Sandoval on March 10, 2011 at 3:17 PM

Perfect soft waters and the color rendition is superb. Wonderful shot.

Registered on April 4, 2009, 13 Posts, 254 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Maile on March 10, 2011 at 10:03 PM

I enjoyed this since I saw the thumbnail Richard. Nice! I do agree about the shutter speed comments and maybe a couple of stops faster... personally when I scroll down, I like the very top cropped off, seems to add to the mystery. Beauty, would love to see these falls, good work!

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Sharp on March 10, 2011 at 11:15 PM

The rich greens look great with the dark background and the highlights of the water. Nicely done.

Registered on December 9, 2007, 258 Posts, 9892 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Roberts on March 10, 2011 at 11:49 PM

Wonderful image. Love the rich green, the detail, diagonal flow across the frame, and isolation provided by the dark background. The water texture is largely a matter of taste. With the vertical flow a faster shutter would definately work, but so does this. No doubt I'd like them both. I do agree that cropping just a tad off the top would be the slightest improvement IMO. Thanks for sharing this image. Moving water is becoming one of my favorite subjects and I definately need study material like this.

Registered on March 9, 2011, 69 Posts, 501 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on March 12, 2011 at 7:22 PM

I like the comp and the shutter speed as well, and I agree with Bill that 1/4 and 1/2 sec. gives an even better impression of water speed and force. Great greens and nice light.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on March 14, 2011 at 10:08 AM

Richard:
This is a wonderful image. Great greenery and I also like the blurring of the water.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments