Nooksack Falls

[Abiciriderback]

One of many stops on the way up to Mt Baker, WA. Nooksack if the water is running is actually a side by side fall was running pretty darn good today.
Any CC greatly appreciated as always

Thanks
Ray Still

[LeeIs]

hi Abiciriderback, personally, i'd like to see more of the scene. I think it's a bit too tight for my taste. others might disagree though. The top bushes are also a bit distracting. maybe a bit of a crop from the top?

[PhoebeG]

A bit overexposed for me. Nice image. Would agree with Leels, it leaves me wanting to see what's to the left of it.

Phil G.

[JETA]

The top of the fall looks blown out and I think the whole thing is a wee overexposed.

I like where you are going here and would like to see more.

I'd also like to see more to the left of the photo.

[SpecTech]

I live in Bellingham and have visited the falls. That being said, you did a pretty good job of capturing some of the scene. What people who have never been here do not understand is that the scene is IMPOSSIBLE to capture by camera unless you are a crazy mountaineer freak with a deathwish and some insanely good climbing gear and partners. MANY people have died here. There is a 4' fence that wraps around the edge of the viewpoint to discourage anyone from stepping out onto the slippery moss-covered rocks of impending doom. Basically, there is no way to capture the view on a camera from the tourist viewpoint.

The sign for Nooksack Falls displays a photo taken in 1904 from the other side of the river. How they got over there 100 years ago is a mystery to me. All sides of the falls area are 100' cliffs. I would like to try to access it from downstream at some point, but it is definitely a treacherous route. The water is RAGING. There was a hydroelectric power plant there until the late '70s.

So, regarding your photo, obviously you used a tripod to blur the water, which is good. Nice work capturing the movement of the water. There is a bit of overexposure, but not so much that you couldn't touch it up a bit with software, and maybe darken your blacks just a tad. Shifting the entire exposure slightly darker would help both shadow and highlight. I would like to see the composition shifted down, to where the top of the falls is near the top of the frame, which would balance the picture a little better in my opinion, as well as show a bit more of the falls. There is only a tiny hint of the left part of the double-falls. For people who have never been here, no big deal, these are the same people who don't understand the tight shooting angles. Other than that, there's not much else you can do without an extremely wide angle lens.

I shoot with a 14mm lens on a full-frame camera which is as wide as you can possibly get, and still can't get the bottom of the falls in the photo due to the tight cliff angles. I would love to work this area more, but am afraid of what I might get myself into. Atleast one of the deaths at the falls was a photographer. And on that note, happy shooting! --Brad

[Greg McCary]

I know how restrictive shooting falls can be. Sometimes you just have to live with what you can get. I do wish this one was a little wider to the left. Maybe next time you can take two shots and stitch it? But for this one I think you did very well. Try slightly burning the water that is blown out. Try 3% opacity on the highlights.