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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo is Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park, western Canada. The falls attract many thousands of visitors who are discouraged from leaving the foot paths and degrading the surrounding forest floor. One of the challenges in shooting this waterfall and background is finding a spot on the paths among the trees to frame a good composition.Time
I shot this image as part of a long series of photos of these falls during mid-day. There was a hail storm while I was shooting, so I had to take my camera off my tripod and shelter my camera under my jacket until the hailstorm passed. I also had to wait for other visitors to wander out of the frame. I took this image shortly after the hail storm.Lighting
The overcast made diffuse lighting, which I prefer for shooting waterfalls. I waited after the hailstorm for the clouds to thin some above the far ridge in the image, brightening the far background some.Equipment
I used a Pentax K-1, Pentax 28-105 lens set at 28 mm, f16, 0.6 seconds and ISO 200. I shot at 0.6 seconds to provide a "silky" feel to the water while still capturing some of the turbulence of the water, especially at the base of the falls.Inspiration
Jasper National Park is a very beautiful area with many natural attractions, including waterfalls. I enjoy photographing waterfalls (among many other landscape features) because the flowing lines in waterfalls and streams can lend themselves to good compositions. I also find waterfalls to be peaceful and powerful at the same time.Editing
This image didn't require a lot of post-processing. I mostly dodged and burned selected areas in the image to reduce highlights and bring out parts of the image from shadow.In my camera bag
I use very little equipment--a tripod, a Pentax K-1 body, 28-105mm and 150-450 Pentax lenses, and occasionally a 14 mm Samyang lens. I often use a ND filter for photographing waterfalls at longer exposures. Ansel Adams has been credited with saying that the most important part of a camera is the 12 inches behind it. I've been using this gear for several years, and I'm still learning how to improve the 12 inches behind the camera rather than the camera itself. When I've learned how to get the most out of the equipment I already have, then maybe I will need more equipment.Feedback
As another photographer said, the most essential parts of photography are subject, lighting, and composition. In landscape photography, research subjects and locations if possible before you go out, wait for good lighting whenever possible, and use your feet to help spot the best composition. And don't let hail storms deter you.