River Channels in Spring Photo

Photographer’s Note

River Channels in Spring
St. Louis River
Jay Cooke State Park
near Carlton, Minnesota

My final shot in this little trio from the swinging bridge over the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park. From the bridge you are looking down on two converging channels of the river as the river splits and rushes through the rocks around this large (for a river) island.

The previous post was from the left channel. The first post in this series was from the left bank of the right channel .. you can just see it peeking around the trees.

I have tried to photograph this view a number of times .. I still am not quite to the image I have in my mind .. but this one has grown on me a bit. On this day we drove out for sunset .. (it was supposed to be "partly cloudy" .. instead this heavy rain cloud enveloped the place .. On the good side it was dark enough to allow for long exposures with no filter (at ISO 50).

From the notes to the previous image (with more detail on this place):
This is shot from the swinging bridge over the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park.

Getting a shot from the bridge is tricky .. it is a popular landmark and the entry to one of the park's main trail systems. It is just wide enough for two people .. which means if I sneak out onto the bridge with my tripod I am blocking traffic .. and of course people make the swinging bridge .. swing .. especially the pack of teenagers attempting to make it swing as much as possible that were on it this particular evening .. So the technique is to wait for an empty and stable moment to gently get out on the bridge (keeping it as steady as possible) .. etc. add to that my paralyzing fear of heights .. .

Jay Cooke State Park is one of the hidden gems of the Minnesota park system. The park is about a half hour drive South of Duluth (about 2 hours north of Minneapolis) near the small town of Carlton. The main feature of the park is the St. Louis river raging through a system of channels, rapids, and falls before it enters Lake Superior in Duluth.

Jay Cooke State Park Page:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/jay_cooke/index.html

main Minnesota State Park Page (try the "by map" option:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html

danos, jwmunro, Didi, feather, Cretense, danyy, dip, papagolf21, bakes888, Cricri, stego, gunbud has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jwmunro (6853) 2009-06-30 9:45

Hello John -

Very nice! Using the WA lens to capture both channels gives this image an odd perspective, but one that works. It is almost like you stitched two dissimilar scenes together as one eye looks up one stream and your other looks up the other stream. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

Didi (35648) 2009-06-30 11:38

Hi John
Interesting rivers junction with a deep foreground.
Nice picture of this wild country.
Take care.

jemaflor (38801) 2009-06-30 13:12

Hi John,
Nice place and landscape with a good pov for your shot to give a V composition, nice colors also.

feather (49848) 2009-06-30 13:21

I recognise the section of the river on the left from the zoomed in image previously. The bridge is well placed on the confluence of the two streams, so you almost have a symmetrical image; very pleasant to view. The sky doesn't look like rain cloud!
Kath

danos (31538) 2009-06-30 13:51

Hi John,
a nice landscape view with the conjunction of the two river to create a great V.I like this beautiful place with the background trees to complete the scenery so pleasantly.Well done my friend.

Regards,Danos

photoray (1174) 2009-06-30 17:27

Hi John,
I like nature's V, the two water bodies converging amidst rocks and plants.

Good job,
RAy

Cretense (54578) 2009-07-01 1:12

Hello John!

One more fantastic nature photography in your gallery! Wonderful wide angle feeling, perfect framing and composition, great capture of this river "crossroads", the eye doesn't know which "branch" to follow first! Great light managment, beautiful colours! congratulations!

Hercules

darek1978 (11070) 2009-07-01 9:36

Hi John,
This is a well composed shot of the river channels.
You show us a very nice, panoramic view. I like how you have used a slow shutter speed to created fantastic effect on the water. Excellent execution and good presentation, TFS.
Regards,
Darek

danyy (67844) 2009-07-01 13:12

Bonjour John,
tu habites une magnifique région très nature et souvent tu nous proposes de belles fresques de cette anture encore très sauvage.
Beau lieu où se rencontrent ces ruisseaux fougueux et j'aime beaucoup la verdure intensément colorée.
Best regards.
Daniel.

dip (12402) 2009-07-01 21:55

Hi John,
a beautiful place and you captured it very well from this point of view!
nice natural colors and good perspective,
Greetings,
Dimitris.

giorgimer (20596) 2009-07-01 23:45

Hi John,

beautiful nature, good POV and details.

TFS

Gio

Nicou (43737) 2009-07-02 0:42

Hello,

superbe uve ces deux cours d'eau qui se rejoignes, avec lea belle roche, la végétation, amngigique image.

Braov et amitié

Nicou

papagolf21 (55860) 2009-07-02 0:46

Bonjour, cher ami John,
Vous savez nous offrir de magnifiques paysages. Le cadrage choisi a été réalisé avec un soin tout particulier pour valoriser ce décor sauvage d'une grande beauté.
Mille mercis de ces cadeaux.
Amitiés.
Philippe

bakes888 (18055) 2009-07-03 2:04

Hi John. Worth the wobbly knees for the view ;-). The cloud cover has allowed good detail throughout the shot with nice even light and even enhanced the colours. I love the composition with the two channels coming straight at the camera. Nice camera work. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

Cricri (42687) 2009-07-03 11:09

Hello John
Bon format pano et POV avec les deux riviéres qui ce rencontre, un milieu sauvage et bien verdoyant, j'aime beaucoup
Friendship
cricri

anokutan (7273) 2009-07-04 10:54

Hello John,
Nice place and landscape with a good pov for your shot to give a V composition.Regards.

stego (22312) 2009-07-04 19:15

Hi John,
Beautiful scenery, amazing compo. I like very much the symmetry effect that almost makes us think that it is a mirrored image.
Regards,
José

Angshu (33193) 2009-07-05 21:24

Dear John
Nice view with the wide angle lens...Like the dual perspective from the position of convergence of the two cahannels. The light, it seems, was not the optimal best, but the green is so lush that it creates a fine visual traet & contrast with the water.
Best regards
Angshu

pablominto (39848) 2009-07-06 23:43

Hello John,

I notice how this landscape is resembling what I find around my place, like the rocky riverbed through a mixed forest with evergreens and others trees..!
The point of view from the bridge works well here and results in fine details and lines...
Fine natural colours of spring!

Greetings,
Pablo -

xuaxo (5619) 2009-07-07 8:35

Hi John,
This a very interesting shot, because the two channels seem almost a mirror of each other.
Greetings,
Francisco