Finger Lakes Waterfalls #2, a photo from New York, Northeast

Photographer's Note

This amazing waterfalls is in Robert H. Treman State Park a few miles south of Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is the home of Cornell University. The traffic here was bad due to some major urban and road construction. Ithaca is a beautiful city and has some great waterfalls right in the middle of the Cornell College Campus. This waterfall is quite different from any of the waterfalls that I have seen. I was fascinated by the geology of this area. I have never seen so much strata of shale before. The numerous layers of shale and the unusual domed shape of the falls makes this one of my very favorite waterfalls that I have visited. It is also a great place to skip rocks. The rocks are the most perfectly shaped skipping stones that I have ever encountered and I had to take my exposures between the rock throwing sessions of my wife and all of the other little kids who were present. Some critics may comment that the photo needs sharpening, but I don't like to oversharpen waterfalls. It doesn't look natural to me.

asajernigan, siolaw, shevchenko, JPlumb, feather, delic, Photo65Net, isabela_sor, gary91, jmcl, japiey, enedimd, rcrick, Floydian, AROBN54, Standa, jaywalker, ahmetgedikli, derek3755, emjleclercq, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dvlazar (6662) 2007-07-25 19:17

The amazing dome shape of this waterfall is so interesting and unique - its quite amazing geology indeed. Youve presented it to look grand and very large.
Thanks for sharing this one,
Dave.

asajernigan (21427) 2007-07-25 19:38

Stan,
Very nice effect on this waterfall. The long exposure worked well for you here giving the water a nice silky appearance with excellent DOF and sharpness. The lighting and colors are great with excellent detail.
TFS,
Asa

Cormac (26565) 2007-07-25 19:41

Wow, perfect positioning in this shot, to get the falls placed exactly in the centre, with the water cascading down from a central point. This makes it look almost unnatural, too good to be true, but then we remember that nature is full of surprises and things that seem impossible. Really gorgeous work!

siolaw (38294) 2007-07-25 19:58

Hi Stan,
An impressive view of these beautiful falls, with good colors and sharpness of detail is fine.
Natural beauty!
Laurent

fallan (1860) 2007-07-25 20:44

What a great waterfall. I would like to see all of the sides and possibly some forground object to add interest there. The exposure is perfect.

shevchenko (20560) 2007-07-25 21:12

Hi Stan,
Beautiful semicircular landscape with many layers, pure and natural waterfall and liver mosses here, the water at above look like hanging snow, good exposure, distinct colour, perfect shoot.
Ally

JPlumb (3159) 2007-07-25 23:10

Beautiful work Stan. I've never seen a picture of these falls; looking at this one of yours I'm surprised. This is a very beautiful natural wonder and you've captured it extremely well. The colour is incredible. Your 1/4 second worked well, I wonder what longer would have looked like. The shot is sharp enough and very well presented.

Thanks, John

rgarrigus (0) 2007-07-26 0:46

Hi Stan,

This is beautiful. The silky cascades from the slow (but not too slow) shutter speed juxtapose wonderfully with the color and texture of the moss-covered rocks. The slight hint of reddish-brown in the moss is great. I love the fissure running diagonally through the center of the falls. It makes the photo for me as it almost gives the dome the feel of an ancient ruin and nicely effects the flow of water giving us a stronger cascade expertly placed at the upper right third. Including some of the pool in the foreground works well to maintain context. As for sharpening I agree with you. I may have tried a little selective sharpening on the foliage or rock faces above the falls (avoiding the falls themselves) but nothing in the sharpness detracts from this image in my opinion. Another brilliant shot.

Cheers!

Bob G.

[2]

ben4321 (9875) 2007-07-26 1:15

This waterfall makes a really interesting shape - almost a perfect dome of cascading water.
The shot works well - good framing and just the right level of movement blur in the water.
I wish you hadn't sharpened it so much though - the background especially looks sharper than the rest of the image. With this kind of scene, with it's soft light and moving water, you really needed to keep sharpening to a minimum.

Cheers,
Ben

[2]

feather (51130) 2007-07-26 2:47

No wonder this is one of your favourite waterfalls. It looks amazing with the shape of the rocks under the water like a dome. The shutter speed was just about right to soften the water. You also had a good POV so you were almost able to fill the frame with the cascade. I can't see any sharpening issues at all; it looks just about right to me.
I like the bit in your note about your wife skipping stones (we call it skimming)with the other kids ;D
Kath

Bruno40 (6662) 2007-07-26 3:36

Stan,
Nice framing of the scene, and great exposure... the soft texture of the water contrasts well with the sharpness of the rocks.
cheers
Jorge

delic (6735) 2007-07-26 3:48

Hi Stan,
What a refreshing view while I'm about to boil over here! This is somewhat typical East Coast scenery, and it reminded me of my years in VA as a student, where there are many waterfalls like this alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah NP and the national forests. I really like the tight composition that does not contain any distracting elements. The relative calmness of the water below the falls is also nice. I find the sharpness just fine. Regards,
Hakan

JorgeCK (2620) 2007-07-26 6:56

Hi Stan,
Impressive shot. Nice effect of this waterfall. The colors are beautiful and the sharpness is just right.
You selected the perfect shutter speed that give the water beautiful effect of movement.
Well done my friend
joRge

Photo65Net (43144) 2007-07-26 10:25

Stan,
This global view is great, and let us feel the very impressive falls.
Beautiful, with great light management.
Regards,
JB.

vincz (19113) 2007-07-26 10:34

Wow... fantastic shot. What a great feeling. Perfect speed choice. The colors are wonderful. Excellent one.

melmcree (18) 2007-07-26 14:07

Reminds me of a chocolate fountain that they have at wedding receptions. Very well composed and very good control over the shutter speed and aperture.

WepWaWet (3798) 2007-07-26 14:25

Hello Stan,
Really wonderful shot. Excellent colors and very nice sharpness. Perfect framed and great effects. I like this waterfall photo. Regards,
Seref

gary91 (15348) 2007-07-26 23:03

Hello Stan,
Funny enough, we do publish a waterfall picture on the same day :o)
This fall is incredibly great and has a wonderful shape. I do agree that oversharpening would destroy the natural of your image which I like as it stands.
Have a great day.
Best regards, Christian

isabela_sor (47748) 2007-07-27 0:47

Very original!!Never seen before a waterfall like this....Good use of exposure here capturing well the motion of water.I wanna see this place once
Hugs
Isabela

jmcl (14535) 2007-07-27 20:49

Hi Stan,

This is such a beautiful fall The water is stunning ... very beautiful .. the framing greens are great .. I wish you had a couple more mm. or steps back to get a bit more of the edges of the falls .. still strikingly beautiful image. I think the sharpening is great here.

take care,

John

japiey (10163) 2007-07-28 2:50

Hello Stan.

Another beautifull image of the FINGER FALLS.
Well composed image.
Great in tones.

jean paul

sevy (58) 2007-07-29 3:17

Hello Stan,

I think I prefer this photo to your previous post. The lightning is very good with the reflections on the water of the falls and the saturation of the green fits very well to this kind of photo.
I think that a panoramic frame with the horizontal assembly of 2 or 3 photos could also give a nice shoot, but perhaps the site was not good for this kind of operation.
For sure it is a very nice place, thanks to make it discovering to us.

Yves.

PARDAL (624) 2007-07-30 13:26

Hi Stan!!
What a beautiful waterfall!!!
Amazing shot and POV.We can appreciate the geology and the layers of shale. I悲 like to visit this place. The light is great!!
We love it!Congrats!!
Best wishes!
Nat跐ia i Joan

enedimd (1532) 2007-07-30 13:41

Hi dear Stan,
Wonderful photo with excellent green tones, water effects, sharpness and light. Very interesting geology really.
Actually, You have to present us very well.
Congrats,
TFS,
Have a nice week.
Friendly regards,
Emir Nedim

rcrick (346) 2007-07-31 1:28

Hi Stan, Just an amazing shot, the colours are outstanding as is the POV, its crisp sharp, and the texture of the water is perfect, really nice work congrats Rick

Floydian (30970) 2007-07-31 4:15

Hi Stan,
What a wonderful composition. Excellent use of the slow shutter to create that milky looking water. I like the different steps on the rocks which makes it a very interesting composition on the water.
Really good work.
Regards, Henk

AROBN54 (11475) 2007-07-31 17:48

Oh, Stan!! What a fabulous shot (what a fabulous SIGHT!) You have done such a great job with the exposure to get that smooth flow. It looks so beautiful against the green on the rocks. This one is a real beauty. Hope you're having a great summer! Take good care now,
Shelly

mesutilgim (0) 2007-08-02 9:02

Hello dear Stan,
Great capture ! Very nice pov and masterly technique.
TFS
MESUT ILGIM

nmess (2301) 2007-08-03 15:45

Nice capture of the falls Stan. I've been to Ithica a number of times and have seen many of the falls in the area, but not this one. I like the symetry here as well as the motion blur of the water. Sharpness is spot on as far as I am concerned... As for the ctitics...I often feel people over sharpen their pics.

Standa (1877) 2007-08-05 12:53

Hi Stan,
I like how you composed this amazing waterfalls photo, especialy the front which has enough space. First I thought that it愀 too sharp but finaly I like the result which is very clear and with all details.
Best regards,
Stanislav

jaywalker (16105) 2007-08-08 10:11

Hi Stan, A superbly balenced photo, the exposure looks excellent, nice effect of the water flow, the light is very good & you have composed the shot wonderfully well, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

toto (0) 2007-08-28 0:55

Belle photo de cette admirable cascade, cette r廧artition des petites chutes set simplement formidable,grande nettet� et l' eau des chutes bien fig嶪 et bien nette.Merci. Amiti廥 Thomas
je reviens

zeca (19762) 2007-09-03 12:36

Hello! How are you Stan?
Beautiful picture! I like this waterfall, but who doesn愒? Excellent capture. The exposition is perfectly done, showing nice motion and colours. Well taken, my friend!
Regards from Brazil!
Zeca
;-D later..

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2007-09-15 7:22

Hi Stan,
Beautiful waterfall! Excellent light, colors and well capture! Nice work.
Have a good weekend.
Ahmet

Aviller (3866) 2007-10-12 6:45

A really beautiful image. The water looks quite silky smooth and I think the fact that picture isn't overly sharp complements that.

char_mifsud (541) 2007-10-28 8:00

Hello Stan,
Very nice effect on this waterfall. Perfect positioning in this shot.
Regards,
Charles
Malta

derek3755 (2341) 2007-11-20 12:59

Hi Stan

nicely framed shot of the domed waterfalls, the long exposure works well giving a silky feel to the water, beautifully done.

Derek

emjleclercq (15778) 2007-12-18 23:10

The dome shaped rocks clearly make a very nice background for this waterfall, especially with the green moss or vegetation.

All the best,

Emmanuel

gunbud (34066) 2008-01-07 18:39

Hi Stan,
Beautiful slow exposure shot of the unique falls with the lush green moss making a wonderful color contrast with the milky white cascading water. The lighting is perfect bringing clear crisp colors and excellent details. The contrasting colors provide adqueate sharpness.
Regards, Tom

drt100 (4038) 2013-07-27 13:39

A really perfect waterfall for this type. Great timing, balance, composition. A very special place.

David