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Gulf Hagas & RePost
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Gulf Hagas & RePost

by Harry Lichtman

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 28, 20174,463 views8 comments
I spent some time in August this past summer exploring an area I have never been to, Gulf Hagas.  Located in central Maine, the gorge is pretty isolated, the nearest town being Greenville.  This slate lined gorge is 3 miles long with walls up to 130 feet high and a hiking trail running along the rim, near the AT.  With lots of ups and downs and ins and outs along the rim, hiking the 3 miles can take a while.  Access to the water is possible in many areas, just no trails so great care needs to be taken - if something goes wrong, no one may find you. There are hundreds of smaller cascades and several larger falls which have been designated and given names.  Some of the larger fall are attractive photographically, but I liked the spot lighting that just happened to be hitting this small section of the much larger Screw Auger Falls.  I have a vertical with a lightly different perspective, but I liked the flow of water through the image in this one.  Maybe would have liked a little more on the bottom, but my feet were there and not much wiggle room to compose otherwise.

Nikon 810D, 16-35mm @ 16mm, ISO 31, 0.7 sec., f16, polarizing filter  I used a second exposure at 1/10 sec. and blended in a couple of spots in the water to retain detail / texture that was lost with the longer base .7 sec. exposure.

Comments

8 comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on December 28, 2017 at 9:18 PM
Hi Harry,

A very nice image and the dark shadows help frame the shot.  The isolated patch of gravel slightly above the middle on the LH side tends to pull my eye.  Other than that, a very interesting scene well worth examining as the large version..................Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on December 29, 2017 at 12:03 PM
Real nice shapes created by the combo of light and elements. I might burn the top to keep more in the center of the frame, but no other suggestions. This really needs to be viewed large. 
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on December 30, 2017 at 12:44 AM
Harry,

My first thought was, when did Harry go back to shooting film? And Velvia? angel enlightened  The large view opens up a little better, the dark areas lack detail and in general I think the contrast is pretty high.  The dark area on the left does provide some mystery here, but for me throws this off balance a bit.

The highlight for me here are the falls and the viewpoint/perspective with the water cascading over the edge; the flow is great and good job dealing with hot spots and texture in the water.

I know I wasn't there, but as presented this just looks like a most difficult lighting and dynamic range challenge.

Better quit while I'm behind.

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on December 30, 2017 at 6:40 PM
Yep, large view is the ticket. I agree with Harley's suggestion regarding a a burn. The water is wonderful, and you did a good job with the challenging lighting.
--P
Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 1, 2018 at 3:20 PM
Not that many comments on this one. That's too bad because this is a bit different. The large version opens up the shadows on the right. I would open up the shadows on the left to better lure the viewer to the mystery you have in mind. Yet not so much that the mystery is revealed. There are a few hot spots that could be burned in. The whole idea of this sparkling brook dropping off into the dark unknown is a good one imo.
Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 1, 2018 at 4:20 PM
Yes Igor, the left seems to be a bit darker in the smaller view than the larger.  I'll post the vertical version of this view and be sure to make sure the shadows not too dark.  Had the ability to open more, but as you said, wanted to keep the mystery.  Thanks!
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 1, 2018 at 4:30 PM
Click image for large version which shows the shads much better. For the repost, I have opened the left shadows a little and burned down the top edge a little.  Thanks folks.
Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on January 2, 2018 at 5:56 PM
This is marvelous, Harry.  Definitely needs to be seen large to be fully appreciated.  So much detail and a great variety of colors and textures.  The report seems to handle the shadows a bit better.  
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments