This is one of most challenging images I’ve ever made!
Believe me, entering the cold water and find the composition while half submerged was the easiest part!
The complexity of this image involved taking and merging several photos across 5 main zones of the scene as seen…
The scene had a tremendous dynamic range with lots of contrast, so each area required different exposure levels depending on sun/shade, different depth of view and focusing distances, the waterfalls had different flows so required different shutter speeds for each to capture the right water movement therefore some required ND filters while others were just fine with the CPL alone, obviously each time the camera was turned the polarisation changed and the CPL had to be adjusted, some areas you could see the sky through the trees so had to make sure it didn’t cause burnt spots, the wind was shaking the leaves so had to combat the ghosting effects (however some areas the ghosting still visible, unfortunately)…
Then import this to the computer and spending 2 hours (at least) trying to make it all work and look just like I felt it on that day!
Taken in Amarante (Portugal)