I am fascinated by water. I could watch the waves in the ocean or flowing water in a stream all day long. Even after an image is captured I sit and stare at the results remembering the moving water. I can hear the sounds of the creek this morning. I’m right back out there, playing in the water…
The weather did take a turn for the better yesterday. By the middle of the afternoon the temperature was hovering around 70 F. The sun was out and there was only a slight breeze. It was a beautiful day. Of course I chose to ignore the weather alerts popping up on my phone warning me of impending doom from a severe thunderstorm before sunset.
Instead, I played in the creek. The West Canada Creek. The section below Trenton Falls. My favorite playground. It was fantastic!
The approaching storm was coming from the west and the drive to my playground was toward the east. I could see the clouds chasing me in my rear view mirror. I had a feeling the conditions would be right for the images I wanted to capture. I hoped I could beat the storm. I was positive it was going to be worth it.
And it was!
I’ve rambled on before about growing up in the “crick” (I have to remind myself to say “creek” as it has always been a “crick” to me). I felt like I was back in the creek running through my Grandpa’s farm. I really wanted to build some rock dams like I did as a kid but I also wanted to create some images. The images won out this time. Next time, maybe the dam building will win…
The water in the West Canada Creek was high and running fast. There were plenty of opportunities to capture the long exposure, water in motion images for my “Slow” series. I was going to have a blast.
I worked my way downstream from the bridge stopping at every opening and pointing the lens at the turbulent water. The sun was popping in and out from behind the clouds giving me the contrast I wanted in the water. I exhausted the extent of my access on one side of the creek so I crossed the bridge and worked my way down the opposite side.
I love how the creek looks completely different depending on the position of the sun. On the first side the sun was at my back but now I had the sun in front of me. It totally changes the shadows in the flowing water. Pointing the camera at the same turbulent area results in different looks to the flow.
I probably should issue a warning now to everyone… I found a lot of good images yesterday. My “Slow” series is definitely growing from yesterday’s play time in the crick… 🙂
Sunday morning I decided I was not going to take any chances with missing the sunrise like I did on Saturday. My prospects were not looking good as I drove to Bellamy Harbor Park but regardless of the clouds and wind I felt there would be an image for me. At some point last year I forgot you have to be out exploring the possibilities in order to find what you are feeling. A moody morning definitely was for me…
I love a waterfall image processed as monochrome. To me, it is clean, elegant and amazing. The first view I presented on Saturday was the color image, now it is time for the full gorge view in monochrome.
The namesake waterfall is not the only attraction to see when you visit Chittenango Falls State Park. I’ll admit it is the big ticket item, and definitely worth the trek down into the gorge. But, I have found the area of the Chittenango Creek above the falls to be a treasure trove of opportunities for a photographer. It might only be fifteen or twenty minutes for me to explore the views of the waterfall in the gorge but I spent over an hour exploring the creek. BTW, it is properly pronounced “crick”… 😉
For me the “trick” when photographing the creek is finding the right shutter speed. I want a longer exposure that will produce the silky water but I do not want to lose the sense of motion. I could have used the ten stop neutral density filter to totally blur the water (and there are instances when that is exactly what you want), but I chose the three stop filter to keep the swirl of the bubbles from becoming completely solid white.
I can still hear the sounds of the creek as I view this image… aaahhh, that sound takes me back a few years… 🙂
MLCreations Photography 