Whilst out in Oregon for a family event I had a perfect opportunity to capture some of their amazing waterfalls.
Unfortunately, being a family even meant that I was unable to haul my bulky DSLR, and had to catch images on the fly during family hikes.
Following are some long exposure images captured on my iPhone. Before revealing details I'd love to hear what others feel about these in general (on the understanding that all were taken on within the limitations of the iPhone).
Update 8/22/23
OK, so I posted these images to see if others could spot any major flaws. In fact, all of these were taken HAND-HELD (3-5 second range) and are the result of testing a camera app,
The iPhone app (Spectre) adds AI stability to long exposures, advertising the lack the need for a tripod.
For anyone interested in learning more I have added a blog post with more expansive information on my site.
https://www.alanbrownphotography.com/blog/spectre-camera-app-review
The thought: "Capture" could be one aspect and "processing is altogether another opportunity.
Just personal reflections.
IMAGE 1 : Good composition. Rest enhancement for DOF and tonality.
IMAGE 2: Foreground need interest.
IMAGE 3: Another good composition. good opportunity for lense distortion and dreamy tonality.
IMAGE 4: all the way good composition. Post gives chance for cropping and verticals. Tonality for enhanced effect.
IMAGE 5: Good composition. post for cropping and perhaps colour grading.
IMAGE 6: Good subject and context. post : completion of hero element to give it more expressive space.
Thanks Vijay. I agree that all could be improved upon.
These were all taken as a test (more later on that), so I'll see about further processing at a later date.
I love hiking the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Corridor. Two years ago they implemented a fee use between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I generally avoid those days.
1 Not sure which one this is as there are many stone bridges throughout the area. Most of the areas are in the shade so a time exposure is almost default.
2 This is the most popular capture of Mt Hood from Trillium Lake. There can be some great shot when the alpine glow kicks off.
3 It appears to be Tamanawas Falls. Honestly, lots of there begin to look alike after awhile. Again, the Sun rarely, if ever, touches the waterfalls in the Gorge.
4 Multnomah Falls: Tallest in Oregon and second tallest in the US. I think I stopped photographing the fall back in the film days. With 2 million visitors a year...it's difficult to get a unique photograph.
5 I cannot remember the name of this particular falls, but you reach it from the Multnomah Fall trail. Great hike. This reminds me that Fall colors will be happening before too long.
6 Reminds me of the east side of Ponytail Falls. Up the trail from Horsetail Falls....but I'm probably incorrect. Probably Wahkeena Falls.
On a side note: Do you remember seeing all the remnants from a serious forest fire? A teen was throwing fireworks into a parched landscape.
Many areas are still closed off as it is deemed too dangerous for hiking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Creek_Fire
Thanks for the feedback Dean. These were taken as part of a family visit to attend our son's college graduation, so we had a to visit a few of the 'hotspots'.
We actually got to Multnomah Falls real early (right at 8am) so didn't see crowds until we headed down from the top.
Now you mention it, we did see signs of fire on the lower trunk of some trees hiking up to the top of Multnomah, all surrounded by healthy vegetation.
Beautiful place to visit.
Let me know if you ever need a tour guide for Oregon!
Just a mile west from Multnomah Falls is Wahkeena Falls, that a quick hike uphill and you will find Fairy Falls. Very photogenic under the right conditions.
Thanks Dean. If I’m ever back out that side of the world I’ll hit you up.
BTW - #6 is Wahclella Falls,
It was a super-hot day so after hiking to the top of Multnomah we needed something a bit manageable in the heat.
I've just been impressed with all the mobile photo posts. Maybe it's because my phone's camera stinks, or else I don't know how to use it; but I don't seem to get the same results. I really need to sit down and figure it out. Put it on my calendar as a goal for the slower winter months..... so I'm assuming you were hand holding for the long exposure or did you use some sort of stabilizing element? Everything around the actual waterfalls looks really stable (except for the woman in #3). The thing that struck me, other than the quality of the mobile photos, is your subtle use of scale in composing 2, 3, 4, & 6. Are you planning on post-processing these? I look forward to seeing your artistic vision for the final images.
You have such an insightful take on this Jen. I find it interesting that you feel that these long exposures were taken hand-held, yet at the same time find the 'static' elements stable (the girl in #3 moved during the exposure, hence the softness).
You are indeed correct. Typically, a tripod would be needed to allow exposures long enough to highlight the flow of the water, but these images come as the result of a camera app I was testing out. See my update which points to a blog post I have published on this.
Inspired by the work of Eric Mencher (see related blog post on my site) I have been trying to view my smartphone as any other camera (ie not just a point & shoot), paying greater attention to getting decent results,
The images do have a degree of post-processing applied to them, I'm not really excited by them so I'm not sure if I'll push them further.
The great thing about a smartphone is that you have a worthy camera available at all times, the hard part is viewing the device as capable.
Just finished your blog post on Spectre. It makes sense - uses AI for the stable elements and allows for long exposure for the moving objects. So would you say a lot of what you get out of a phone camera depends on the apps - I just have my factory installed camera app on my phone. I'm wondering if that's why I'm not thrilled. Is there a list of camera apps specifically for enhancing a phone's camera - not just for iphone, but also for Samsung (android)?
I wouldn't necessarily say that Jen. I think apps such as Spectre allow you to extend the capabilities of the native camera.
Personally I have tried to push myself to learn what the native and additional apps offer, and really try to consider the device as a serious camera.
This involves trying to be more considerate with compositions, distractions, lighting etc etc. Some apps allow setting ISO, speed etc so these can be put t good use.
I am not aware of the capabilities of the Samsung, or Android apps available, but making a concerted effort to learn what the phone can achieve and limitations is a good first step.
Perhaps when you're out for a walk you'll remember you have that little camera in your pocket and have fun experimenting.