Pluto Falls, Watkins Glen State Park
Carving a Way
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 13s, 40mm, f/11, ISO 100
Carving a Way
Category Archives: landscape
Enter the Light
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Enter the Light
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 13mm, f/11, ISO 100
Through the Gorge
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Through the Gorge
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 10s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 100
Impending
Delta Lake State Park
I spent most of Saturday doing nothing in particular. I attempted to capture the sunrise but a photo worthy view did not materialize. I finally was able to get the last of the “crap” from the garage at the house I sold to the recycling center. I had tubs of household chemicals and old paint cans piled in my garage at the apartment. I stepped out for lunch to enjoy a burger and fries sitting at a picnic table in the warmth of the sun. I played more of my current video game and then decided it was time to see the sunset.
The forecast for Sunday included rain so it should not have surprised me to see the clouds coming in from the south. I hoped they would hold off long enough for me to capture the sun’s departure, but they were moving in too fast for that to happen. All was not lost. There was still some color in the sky and I liked this scene along the beach at Delta Lake.
Impending
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-100mm f/4, 1/50s, 12mm, f/11, ISO 200
Glen of Pools
Watkins Glen State Park
After crossing the bridge over the Central Cascade you enter the Glen of Pools in Watkins Glen. I’ve photographed this area many times and depending of the level of water in the creek it takes on different appearances. Typically I would like more water but there is a subtle clarity with the lower level bringing out the individual pools in this section of the gorge.
Glen of Pools
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 22mm, f/11, ISO 100
Through the Cavern
Watkins Glen State Park
Through the Cavern
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 20mm, f/11, ISO 100
Out of the Dark
Watkins Glen State Park
Above the iconic Rainbow Falls, heading toward Mile Point Bridge is the Spiral Gorge section of the trail. It is a dark and narrow passage with dripping springs, sculptured pools, and thin Pluto Falls. This is the view of the gorge looking back toward Rainbow Falls from the vantage point of Pluto Falls. You can barely see three fellow hikers entering this section of the trail in the top, left third of the image.
Out of the Dark
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 0.5s, 14mm, f/11, ISO 200
The Destination
Watkins Glen State Park
When you travel to Watkins Glen on the weekend, especially on a holiday weekend, you best be at the park early if you plan to do any photography. I arrived at 7:30am and the parking lot had a handful of vehicles so I figured my chances were pretty good I would be able to get the images wanted with minimal time waiting. I was helped by the new “rules” for exploring the gorge trail. The gorge is supposed to be walked in one direction and to return to the trailhead you use one of the rim trails. For the most part, people observed this rule.
The water level in the creek was a little low and it did hinder the impact of a few of the views within the gorge. I’ve said this before, timing is everything when you set out to photograph waterfalls. The low water didn’t necessarily reduce the impact of the iconic Watkins Glen view, Rainbow Falls. Although I was in the park before the sun would produce the reason for the name, it is still a beautiful sight. There were a few groups right behind me on the trail so I did need to wait about ten minutes but once they had passed this location I had another ten minutes to explore before the next group arrived.
I should not have been surprised when I eventually returned to the entrance of the park… there were a lot of people! The empty parking lot was completely full. As I returned along the northern rim trail, “Indian Trail”, I stopped at a few of the overlook locations and the amount of people walking in the gorge was the most I have ever seen. Granted I had never been in the park on a holiday weekend, but holy cow, it was definitely time to go.
The Destination
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M. Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8, 8s, 22mm, f/11, ISO 100
MLCreations Photography 