Niagara Falls No. 1 Photo

Photographer’s Note

Boy, to say that I needed a vacation was the understatement of the year. This one was one of the best vacations that I ever had. New York is a fabulous state and New York City is my favorite city that I have ever visited (tied with London). Niagara Falls is a must see for every Trek Earth photographer and the photo possibilities are limitless. I only brought along my new Nikon Coolpix P5000 digicam with a wide angle converter (which enabled me to use filters). If you ever visit this world-class tourist attraction, and you don't mind lugging along the equipment, take everything including a fisheye lens and a long telephoto. I missed some photo ops using my small camera but I needed the vacation more than I needed to take photos constantly.

I really missed my TE friends and colleagues but I needed to take a break and when I came back from vacation I had some dance photo shoots and I am editing the photos now. We photographers simply can't stay still. I am glad to be back and I am looking forward to seeing everyones' new photos!

jwmunro, Greg1949, zeca, edytungkal, gary91, delic, isabela_sor, InasiaJones, japiey, pgorod, Floydian, Paolo, Photo65Net, enedimd, feather, thea0211, JorgeCK, happypoppeye, Didi, emjleclercq, jaywalker has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Cormac (26455) 2007-07-02 18:06

Really fantastic shot with this one! The angle and perspective is good, with the close up view of the falls and the distant view of the boat in the river - each balances the other and together you achieve a nice sense of 3 dimensions. The power of the falls is very evident here too. Superb!

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jwmunro (6257) 2007-07-02 18:44

Hello Stan -

This is a powerful image with the focus on the massive amount of water falling over the fall. The Maid of the Mist adds to the scene and demonstrates how tall the fall is and how powerful the water volume is. Considering the equipment used this is a bang up photo. I want to comment on the chunky water but considering the harsh lighting conditions and the limitations of equipment it is a meaningless comment. Well done.

Send me an e-mail (private) or give a call and lets do lunch one day.

Thank you for sharing.

John

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Greg1949 (8519) 2007-07-02 18:54

Stan,

Glad you had a good vacation, I know how important they are. This shot is nice and within the confines of your camera it is excellent. The composition is really great with the "Maid" in the bg, and the stopped or nearly stopped water is well done. Nice capture and welcome back.

Greg

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xquiksilver99x (59) 2007-07-02 19:53

I have been to the falls before and I must say that you have definitely captured the energy of the mass amounts of water flowing through here. The falls are so powerful & I like how you've included the boat in the frame for reference. I only wish the boat & rest of background were as sharp as the foreground. Thanks for sharing.

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zeca (20026) 2007-07-02 20:11

Wow, Stan! What a beautiful view! This is amazing! The POV is great and the blue tones are very nice! TFS!
Regards,
Zeca

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ViktorVaughn (1517) 2007-07-02 20:16

This is one of the better Niagara Falls photographs that I have seen recently. You composed it well, showing the power of the falls.

The boat really makes the photo showing the sheer size of the falls. Well-captured of this often-photographed landmark.

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edytungkal (4521) 2007-07-02 20:54

Hello Stan
Great picture of Niagara falls, beautiful place for vacation. Colours and contrast are well, tfs

regards
daniel

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gary91 (15321) 2007-07-02 22:15

Hello Stan,
Hope you had a good rest during your holidays ;-)
This is a really nice angle for this view of the falls. It demonstrates all the power and strength the water can have. Very good inclusion of the boat just at the roght place.
Have a nice day.
Best Regards, Christian

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InasiaJones (20705) 2007-07-02 23:41

Hi Stan,

So you’ve been up north from Denver! Just like you, I think London and New York are two fascinating cities, and I’m eager to see what you have done in the streets of NYC.

While you were at Niagara Falls, I hope you’ve jump on the Canadian side... It’s the most beautiful! :-p) Well, to tell you the truth, every photos I’ve seen from Niagara are shot from our side, so I think it’s cool to see it at a different angle. Good composition with the powerfull fall in the foreground and a perfectly located boat.

Welcome back!

André

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isabela_sor (42517) 2007-07-03 0:31

Impresssssssive fall!!!I wish to see it once in this life but i know will be very difficult for me...for this reason I appreciate your photo more than I can express!!!!Thank you dear Stan
And we missed you too
A nice day
Isa

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japiey (9521) 2007-07-03 0:35

Hi Stan.

Niagara Falls, most voluminous in North America.

You have captured the allure, enchantment and fascination of falling water in a handsome pictorial !!

ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR !!!

jean paul

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pgorod (1122) 2007-07-03 0:51

Hi Stan,

I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation so much... I still have almost one month of work before I get mine... :-)

I love the compo in this photo, the way that boat is placed, even the green bush in the foreground. And that waterfall certainly has huge dynamics, it's really a powerful image...

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mesutilgim (37342) 2007-07-03 0:52

Hello dear Stan,my dear friend !
I was waiting for this ! And it was worth to wait for.
Great pov !
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

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Bruno40 (6442) 2007-07-03 1:09

Stan,
Welcome back!!
Glad to see your posting back in TE. This one is very good, I like the vertical line of falling water separating the foregraound and background, really good composition.
I can't invite you for lunch, but if you drop by in Asia, give me a call! :-)
Jorge

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ben4321 (9809) 2007-07-03 1:19

You captured the power of the waterfall well here Stan, and I think the choice of shutter speed was just about right to almost freeze the movement of the water while still allowing a hint of mistiness to creep in.
I'd have preferred it without the shrubbery in the bottom corner, but maybe you couldn't have leaned out over the void any further!
The background is a bit soft, especially in the top corners (probably that wide converter), but I don't think it matters too much.

Cheers,
Ben

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Floydian (30970) 2007-07-03 4:38

Hi Stan,
So you are back, and it seems you had a wonderful trip.
Really a shame you did not bring your dslr with you, this place is awesome. I was there 10 years ago but still impressed by it's beauty. The composition here is flawless, really excellent. But it suffers a bit of overall quality just as John is saying in his comment.
Nevertheless a very powerful and dynamic photo...really like the setup and composition.
Regards, Henk

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derek3755 (2341) 2007-07-03 4:56

Hi Stan

great shot, excellent composition with the power of the falls on one side and the boat on the other.

glad you have a nice break

Derek

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Paolo (40755) 2007-07-03 9:48

Hi Stan, excellent view where you captured really well the power of water at Niagara Falls.
excellent POV, good quality and composition.
thanks, ciao

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Photo65Net (43096) 2007-07-03 10:47

Stan,
These falss are impressive, and this framing and POV shows nice their power.
The boat seems so little against this huge amount of water.
Beautiful,
Regards,
JB.

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enedimd (1528) 2007-07-03 11:21

Hi Stan,
Wonderful shot with very good falls and boat. Perspective, angle and POV are so good and powerful. Colors are also so good.
TFS,
Have a nice day.
Best wishes,
Emir Nedim

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delic (6735) 2007-07-03 12:27

Hello Stan,
You were wise just to take a small camera. Otherwise, there is the stress of taking good photos and it's no longer a vacation. I would buy one of those myself if there was one that shot raw. This photo looks like a painting to me because of the pastel soft light and how the colors blend into each other, esp. the water surface on the right. Niagara Falls are attractive, no doubt, and the pov with the little patch of greenery is very nice. But it's the boat that separates this from the others and makes it special. For some reason it reminded me of Mark Twain, dunno why. Regards,
Hakan

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jmcl (14149) 2007-07-03 23:05

Hi Stan,

Welcome back .. you have really captured the power and scale ..even with this "limited" view .. I love the diffusion of the background elements perhaps from the mist ... the have this almost oil paint feel to them..

take care,

John

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melmcree (2261) 2007-07-04 7:02

Glad to have you back! The photo is really nice and well composed but it shoes the difference in DSLR and point and shoot. Look forward to seeing more from you.

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feather (50230) 2007-07-04 12:55

Welcome back from your long trip. I can't remember seeing this view from the US side before. you have really captured the thundering water and timed your shot well to catch the Maid of the Mist in shot. Well done
Kath

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thea0211 (1355) 2007-07-05 0:22

hi stan,
i haven't seen Niagara just yet, but have seen lots of images picturing it and i am amazed by its beauty each and every time ... same here - while you succeeded to capture very well the strength and beauty of nature - well seen and thanks!
dora

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puzzle (700) 2007-07-05 4:48

wowww!!!
what a view,Stan!
catching that boat there is a good chance to make a balance in that photo..
impressive..

leyla

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JorgeCK (2600) 2007-07-05 10:08

Hello Stan,
This is a great shot. This proves once again that you don't need expensive equipment to take a great shot.
You've captured the power of the waterfall very well.
Welcome back
joRge

happypoppeye (4064) 2007-07-06 0:37

Another great shot...with that lowly P5000, ughhh...
...sorry, had to.

Actually, I think you use that P5000 so well that maybe you should just send your D200 and S5 to me. I'll even pay for the shipping...:o)

No, honestly though, and this is more of a response to your note for the photo you posted after this one, but in the end isn't it all about enjoying yourself. I remember why I switched from an SLR with 5 lens combo to a Canon G2 a couple years ago. It was for enjoying my time more and not worrying about "the perfect picture". The first day I switched, I remember climbing Mt Rainier. There were two climbers who were so weighed down by their camera equipment that they had to stop every 100 ft or so to take a break. That's when I realized I made the right decision. It took me more than 4 years to come back to an SLR but I'm glad I did. I still remember that climb though. That's why I opted for the D40 with 18-200 one lens camera. A great little no hassle, no lens changing camera. Do I miss all the ND filters and lenses and other gadgets. Once in a while I think of them but honestly, no. Not as small as a P&S but great IQ, light and just so fun to use. So I guess the moral of this long rant is to enjoy it, life is too short not to...and great choice bringing the P5000.

Great POV and the composition is excellent. The boat provides a good sense of scale. Just a really good Niagara Falls shot.

Great work
John

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danyy (69539) 2007-07-08 11:27

Bonjour Stan,
un maximum de fraicheur dans cette photo.
Un clin d'oeil précis à la puissance de ces chutes dont on imagine aisément le fracas.
Une note encourageant à visiter les States.

Best regards.
Daniel.

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Didi (36544) 2007-07-10 3:15

Hello Stan
This is the best one of the falls, the colours looks more natural
The point of view is well choosen.
Cheers.

emjleclercq (14538) 2007-07-10 13:56

A very impressive view of the falls, I can nearly feel the mist of water around and the little tourist boat in the background gives a very nice benchmark for the heigth.

All the best,

Emmanuel

sowhat (981) 2007-07-12 10:41

great to see you back, and with some nice captures!
I like the strong impression of the flow, with that water power on display here. The boat is perfect for giving a scale here.
TFS,
Ioana

Standa (1861) 2007-07-12 14:09

Hi Stan,
great to have you back and I am realy glad that you had great vacation.
I have never been by Niagara falls and it is attractive idea for me. I can imagine how difficult should be making photos by high humidity. Your photo has good result when I know the equipment you had.
Best regards,
Stanislav

zumoduvas (1974) 2007-07-20 5:49

Hello Stan.

Excellent image, nice composition and colors.

Regards.
Jose Luis.

jaywalker (12312) 2007-07-24 11:01

Hi Stan, An excellent photo, the Maid of the Mist on it's way past gives great prospective & the power of the falls is clear for all to see, well composed & perfectly cropped, kind regards Wilson.

hamperium (279) 2007-12-27 22:00