Starved Rock State Park

[another view]

I went to Starved Rock State Park with Sebastian and his friend Kerry yesterday. It's an incredible place with canyons, waterfalls and lots of wildlife. Of course, we happened to get the one sunny day we've had in awhile (hoping for overcast), there very little snow over the winter (so not much for waterfalls) and the animals were probably taking a nap. At 64 degrees, it was a good day to be out.

The second one is my first attempt at a duotone - thanks to Asylum Steve for an important tip here! What do you think of it? Both from the Fuji S2.

[EOSThree]

I am an ex-Chicagoan, and remember many trips to Starved Rock in my youth. In College I went down there via back roads photographing old barns along the way. Matthieson State park is right down the road from Starved Rock and contains a few more sandstone canyons, one of which I remember having quite drop on it's mini waterfall. On your pictures, I just want to see a little more, I want to see where the water is coming from. Both of your shots leaves me a little frustrated, I want to look outside of the frame: up on the first one and to the left on the second one.

[Sebastian]

Steve,

I really like the first one, a very abstract view of the fall. The second one is good as well, you found good lines in that subject, something I could not do all day.

I will post mine soon. I went to bed when I got home and woke up just now.

[Sebastian]

Out of sixty shots I liked three...either my avergae is getting down to abysmal levels, or I am getting way too critical. Oh well.

I don't even like these too much...

The first one, proabably my favorite, definitely not a typical waterfall shot. I don't know, I've been loking at nature in rather abstract ways lately.







Thanks Steve and Kerry, I learned a lot from listening to both of you and watching you shoot. Nature is by far my weakest area, and it was exciting to see you guys work.

[Sebastian]

I lied...

There's one more.

[Asylum Steve]

The second one is god as well...

Ah, Sebastian. You're too easy a target when you'e not fully awake...

Nice shots, guys...

[Sebastian]

Ah, Sebastian. You're too easy a target when you'e not fully awake...

Nice shots, guys...

Grrr...

It's fixed now. :P

Oh, yeah, thanks...

[another view]

Seb - What you said was interesting. It is a beautiful place and I have seen alot of great photographs from it - but now I've been there twice and both times I've had a hard time with it. I just don't "see" much compositionally. I think my 2 here are OK, but my others were pretty uninspired. The thing that saved the second shot was the duotone (or b&w) becuse the colors were so flat. I do like your third shot - the shutter speed is what works here for me.

[Sebastian]

Seb - What you said was interesting. It is a beautiful place and I have seen alot of great photographs from it - but now I've been there twice and both times I've had a hard time with it. I just don't "see" much compositionally. I think my 2 here are OK, but my others were pretty uninspired. The thing that saved the second shot was the duotone (or b&w) becuse the colors were so flat. I do like your third shot - the shutter speed is what works here for me.

I hear ya.

I feel the same way, it's a place that SHOULD be interesting to shoot, yet I have a really hard time with it for some reason. Maybe it was the lighting? Who knows...

[Chunk]

I went to Starved Rock State Park with Sebastian and his friend Kerry yesterday. It's an incredible place with canyons, waterfalls and lots of wildlife. Of course, we happened to get the one sunny day we've had in awhile (hoping for overcast), there very little snow over the winter (so not much for waterfalls) and the animals were probably taking a nap. At 64 degrees, it was a good day to be out.

The second one is my first attempt at a duotone - thanks to Asylum Steve for an important tip here! What do you think of it? Both from the Fuji S2.

I like the movement of the leaves in the pool in the second shot.