Keith's Odyssey to Planet Fitness: Jasper 6, the waterfalls

Friday, November 3, 2023

Jasper 6, the waterfalls

One of the subjects I enjoy doing is waterfalls, especially when I can take my time. That lets me think about composition, when there's a choice. Sometimes there isn't. I can put the camera on a tripod, with an ND filter on the lens, and do some long exposures. This let's me choose how I want the water to look, just about anything from a river of milk, to the water drops ever so slightly blurred for some texture. My usual desired texture is somewhere between those extremes, aiming for a mist over the water effect.

The Jasper trip included stops at several waterfalls, with varying opportunities to work the scene. Part of the challenge is to deal with other people that might be there. Water implies wet, which typically doesn't go well with camera equipment. It also implies slippery, with consequences ranging from wet feet, to wet equipment, to fatal.

1. This is Tangle Falls, just off the icefields parkway. You can tell I'm playing with different compositions and exposure settings.

5. Whats interesting about this photos is that you probably can't tell someone walked through the scene while the camera was running.

8. A couple of Maligne Canyon.

10. Athabasca Falls. The problem here is that it's right off the highway and there were a zillion people enjoying the view. There's a series of bridges and walk ways to view the falls from. There are also lots of signs that warn people that the falls are extremely hazardous and not to go past the fences. I didn't even try to use the tripod and filters.

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20. You might think that because the water is blurred that I'm using an ND filter. But no, it's only 1/20 second shutter speed. This is just on the edge of a human holding a camera still long enough for a good image. I had propped the camera on the fence to keep it still.