by Ryan Shain
Hello NPN,
It has been a little bit, but I think I should be on here more now. This was an image captured back in January from The Tahquamenon Falls area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I was here with Fellow member of NPN, Jeff Martyka, and we had a great time together. This image was captured after a fresh snow fall, and boy was that drive a white knuckler!! It is always worth because Jeff and I were rewarded with such nice snow to capture. 
Thank you for having a look at this image, and leaving any thoughts you may have.
Canon 70d, 10-22, F/20, ISO 100, .5 SECOND, CPL Filter, Tripod with shutter release
Comments
9 commentsHi Ryan,
I'm usually not fond of brown waterfalls, but this image is a great exception. The color of the water against the mostly-monochromatic snow, icicles and woods creates a lovely contrast. The POV and comp work well to illustrate the snow -covered FG and BG without distracting from the falls. Excellent shutter speed choice to preserve the texture of the falling water.
I love the shutter speed as seen in that right open water. The fill of the foreground with the edge of that cliff is fantastic. And the snow showcases really nice texture. Very nice work!
The tannin in the water vs white and the deep evergreens give such an interesting look. With respect to what Wayne said about brown waterfalls, I think its because of the winter scene that it works so very well. If this was against brown canyon walls as well it might not be as interesting but it comes out special in the winter.
That snowstorm was insane getting through the UP. I think I finally have some color back in my knuckles.
Look forward to getting out together again sometime soon.
That brown water really makes the waterfall stand out against the "B+W" background, really nice detail. Also the icicles on the left are very interesting, would maybe even have liked to see more of them. But this is really great as is, no nits!
I too like the shutter speed Ryan. This might look interesting in B&W especially the detail in the waterfalls.
Interesting shot, Ryan. I like the way the river disappears into the snow. SS is right on and I agree with Eva, that a conversion might be worth a try.
The heavy cover of pristine snow works great here, Ryan. The brown falls stands out well against all of the black and white and while it's very "natural" (at least given how strongly humans have changed the environment) it is a bit of a shock, especially when surrounded by all of the snow. The icicles in the ulc are a nice, subtle addition. With the brown water, this is also interesting as an EPJ shot. I suspect that going all b&w here would mask the brown water nicely...if you wanted to.
Great field trip! Always nice to show that falls can actually have a lot of color in the water, and not always pure white. Thanks for sharing and glad you returned safely!
Regards: Tom
The color of the falls is really the unique aspect of this photo, Ryan. It reminded me instantly of some of the shots I've seen of the Little Colorado in monsoon season believe it or not but with the snow replacing the desert rock. Not a nit to be had from me.
Beautiful composition. The snow balances the falls nicely,