Falling Water

Someday I will get to the famous Frank Lloyd Wright house, but until then this kind of falling water will have to do.  I revisited Cold Brook in Mont Vernon which has falls locally called Senter.  Strangely there hasn’t been much seasonal change from the time I shot it in mid-December.  Other than the absence of snow and ice and some new green growth there isn’t much difference.   But the light was good – strong overcast and I had leisure to explore.  Until the rain came in earnest that is.  I got back to my car just in time.

For this first one I had to go behind some safety ropes set up in winter to keep people off the icy boulders.  I figured it was safe now.  Love the view and the color of the rocks and how the brook just drops and curves away.  I really need to get a neutral density filter for this lens, but for now I only use a polarizer; 5 second exposure.

I was on the lookout for some greenery I could use in an image.  There wasn’t a whole lot of it, but I found some at the main falls.  They waved in the breeze while I took a second 5 second exposure.  I really like the solidity of the tree and the rock and the fluidity of the water.  It’s like a dance.

While I was standing up there with the water rushing past me, I couldn’t resist getting a detail shot.  I panned around a bit trying things on before deciding on this one.  I’m still not sure how I feel about that stick, but there was no way to go get it.

Further down the brook widens out.  Back in December I tried for a shot like this one, but it didn’t work out.  I was in almost the exact spot, but not far enough into the brook itself.  The stream bed slopes up slightly here, enough for a dramatic view of the whole thing.  I really like this one and didn’t even get that wet.

While scanning the bank for a good location, I found a leaf from last year.  Even though the rocks have some rich color in them, the leaf itself was depleted and pale, so I decided on a sepia treatment and a bit of a crop and rotation.  The water was flowing by and adds silky contrast.

As I worked my way downstream and back to my car, I found a little tributary coming into the main brook.  It was pretty bare and strewn with debris from a recent flood, but I found this little arrangement.  I like the color contrasts.

And I have a fascination with ferns.  I always have and only now have begun to photograph them seriously.  Here’s another species in another location –

I was captivated by the arrangement and even though I had to crouch in the muck, handhold this shot while the breeze refused to cooperate, I’m glad I stuck with it.  Of about 10 shots, this is the only one that was worth a damn.