Looking Glass Falls, just outside of Hendersonville, NC, is a 60-foot waterfall in the Pisgah National Forest. Located at the bottom of a rocky canyon, the falls come down into a great natural swimming hole.
After seeing another post here last week with a great shot of Looking Glass Falls, I decided to revisit an image from one of our trips last summer. It's kind of an odd composition with the large rock in the foreground (left), but I did this to hide a group of swimmers that would have been very difficult to do away with in Photoshop.
As always, CC is greatly appreciated!
I dig the shot. Top looks a tiny bit heavy, so I might crop a little off. But the first thing that struck me is that all the light is on the rock in the foreground which pulls the eye to it right away. I might try lowering the exposure on the foreground rock (kind of match the cliff side on the right), and bring up the exposure on the falls.
The leading line on the cliff face that goes directly into the fall is great as it directs you right to it. If the lighting was switched it would focus on the falls which is the more interesting part.
Overall, its a cool shot
Thanks for the input! I decided to leave this image "top heavy" because, to me at least, it shows the size of the mountain and the size of the falls.... It helps me keep everything in perspective. My next trip will definitely be different angles, hopefully one of which will be looking straight on at the falls to help with that feeling of "big."
hey Mark if you have trouble with those pesky people in your image take the quick shot if you want the texture then a really long one if they are moving enough you will only have minimal work in post they pretty much disappear. nice fall though can you get to it in winter it looks like you could get some nice ice hanging off that ledge
My next visit to Looking Glass (when it FINALLY stops raining), I'll have try to find a spot in the middle of the river to set up a tripod for a longer exposure... I know it can be done, because we saw it in Phillip's shot before. Can't wait to go, too, because I'll be shooting with my new-ish camera and wide angle lens.
nice what didi you get
I really like this shot. I think where the falls hit the water in a waterfall shot is the big payoff so not including that in the composition sets up some tension or expectation. But I like that, it draws me into the image because it's as much about what you don't show as what you do.
The two diagonal leading lines in the rocks above and below the falls are kind of what make this image work for me, especially the rock in the foreground gliding my eyes down into the water. I wish the other parts of the image were a little more interesting, like the right hand side opposite the falls. Maybe if you lightened up the water on that side to make it seem more inviting? Like a place you'd want to swim?
Thanks for the comments! From what I'm reading, you saw in this scene pretty much the same thing I did... The leading lines drawing you into the falls. I agree that the right side isn't that interesting. I took your advice and brightened the water at the base of the falls to (hopefully) make it more inviting to the viewer.
Those pesky swimmers! ;) I had to clone out a few people at the bottom of the falls in the shot you mentioned. Luckily, they were small in the frame so it was fairly easy.
Is it just me or does it seem like the horizon is a little low on the left in this shot? The water's surface on the right side seems to be tilted just a bit. Otherwise, I would agree that the foreground rock draws a lot of attention from the falls and the really interesting cliff face on the right. It is a really nice location and you're lucky to be able to go back as often as you like. I really want to visit in the dead of winter for some ice in the scene.
Those swimmers can be a pain! lol! There's a large family hiding behind that rock. I probably could have taken them out, but it would have been very time consuming and could've possibly gone horribly wrong in editing. I'm hoping to get back before it warms up enough for the swimmers to return.
Glad to see someone else is as sensitive to tilted water as I am! ;-)
Oh, you have no idea. If a clear horizon is off by as little as half a degree, it drives me insane. LOL
Oh, yes, Phillip, I think I DO have some idea! My software lets me tilt in increments of 0.1 degree, and I'd like 0.05 for those sea horizons, especially.
Might have to increase my paroxetine.
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions. I took a few minutes this afternoon to lower the exposure on the foreground rock, brighten the falls and water, and straighten the photo based on the top of the falls.
Looks great. My attention is pulled to the fall immediately. Then the light leads me to the foreground with the nice water texture. Nice edits
The light changes make a huge difference. Much better. But you actually rotated the image further in the direction of tilt instead of correcting it.
When I correct an out-of-level horizon, I try to find something in the image that is guaranteed to be horizontal. In this case, the pool of water has to be level and that's your best reference. I've attached a couple examples of what I mean, with the first showing lines depicting the level of the water and the tilt, and one where I've corrected it. Another reference might be the line of water falling on the right side of the falls, but this can be tricky if the water is bouncing off other surfaces and not coming straight down the face of the cliff. The top of the falls is also a poor reference as the rocks may be higher on one side than the other. Vertical lines are almost always a poor reference as there may be perspective distortion if the camera is pointing even slightly up or down. In the second version (rotated a few degrees to the right), I think it's clear the pool of water is level.
Oops! You're right. So much for my discerning eye. Better increase my Ritalin instead.
AHA! I see what you did here! I straightened the image based on the horizontal line at the top of the falls, not based on the lower lines. The way you did it makes more sense and looks much better. Thank you!
Yes, Mark - pools of water are a giveaway to camera tilt, and some people are very sensitive to it. Take a landscape format sea image with an edge-to-edge horizon, and I'll wager you can easily see a fraction of a degree of tilt. It's one of those things that once you see, it's very hard to ignore. To be honest I didn't look closely enough at your image to see it here, but know Phillip has a keen eye, so I took his word without looking for myself..
Ahh! That's better. Oh, and the tonal changes don't hurt, either. ;-)