Winter Waterfall Photo

Photographer’s Note

Rifle Falls was one of my favorite hangouts in Colorado's western slope until the recent wave of oilshale drilling, which if not carefully monitored, will ruin the northwestern part of the state. When this photo was taken property was dirt cheap and now with the boom, it is out of sight. I hate boom and bust cycles. Denver has historically been a boom and bust economy but we recently have became much more economically diversified.

I may have used Fujichrome 50 rather than Velvia. I am not sure. They were similar films but Velvia had more color saturation and richer blacks. I suspect that this film was Fujichrome 50. This was a bitterly cold post Christmas day but I liked the fact that people were standing on the edge of the overlook and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to include them in the photograph. This is my last post of my mini "Ice Age" series and I will conclude the Stock Show Series next.

My analog to digital conversions have sometimes been criticized for their "lack of sharpness", but I have had bad luck when I have oversharpend images created from transparencies. Slides are a completely different "animal" than digital images and I think that newer photographers should appreciate them for what they are rather than to compare these two mediums all of the time. A well scanned and processed transparency can give the best digital images a real run for the money when it comes to creating large prints. Film was not designed for the tiny compressed web-based digital images and it suffers much more from resizing and compression. At 500k and 1200 pixels you couldn't tell the difference between the two mediums. I only shoot digital now and I like it and will never go back to film, but in 1991 this was the finest color film technology available. This photograph has stood the test of time in my opinion.

AROBN54, robertosalguero, JPlumb, Floydian, charlotte_iona, Bruno40, sevy, JorgeCK, Griet, melmcree, zmey, Photo65Net, fulvio52, gunbud, japiey, emjleclercq, jean11-3, leo61, plimrn, Didi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

AROBN54 (10789) 2008-02-05 23:18

Oh, man, I think it's beautiful. That looks like some tough light and you've handled it wonderfully. Gorgeous frosting on the grasses and tree branches and I like the smooth flow of the waterfall. The people at the top give us a nice sense of how high that waterfall is, too. Great shot, Stan! Thanks and you take care now,
Shelly

robertosalguero (110) 2008-02-05 23:57

Hello Stan,

I think you managed light very well in this image. The colours seem fine and the exposure is well under control. The view is pretty. Waterfalls usually catch my attention, specially during winter. The inclusion of people is ok and add some life to the view. Your point of view is also very effective. Thanks for sharing.

Roberto

JPlumb (3153) 2008-02-06 2:10

Hi Stan, ya gotta love this one. A waterfalls with the mist creating a hoar frost on all the trees around it. The colour is great. It has that "slow slide" rich look to it. I like the composition with the 4 people on the top, it gives it scale. All nicely wrapped in that neutral frame. Great presentation.

Thanks, John

avene (11124) 2008-02-06 2:51

beautiful shot, Stan, the intricate patterns of the delicate frozen grass and tree branches contrast nicely with the sheer force of the waterfall. I like a lot the textures here, particularly of the grass in the foreground, you've done a great job capturing them. and I entirely agree that including people lets the viewer appreciate a scale.
once again, thanks for informative note. I'm learning :)
take care,
Kristine

Floydian (30970) 2008-02-06 2:58

Hi Stan,
Sometimes in am in doubt if i shall get my old EOS 1 from the attick and buying some rolls of Vevlvia and start shooting again. But the scanning proces is very time consuming, so i don't think i will ever use it again.
This golden oldie is wonderful seeing it is taken such a long time ago. The composition is flawless and the combination of the waterfall and the people on top of it gives it a perfect presentation of this area...very good work here.
Regards, Henk

Bruno40 (6442) 2008-02-06 3:45

Very beautiful photo Stan,
Your scanning is good (IMHO), half of my gallery is scanned photos, and I know what you mean.
This photo has an outstanding composition with the water fall in one side, humans in the others, blue sky (some portion a bit oe though) and frozen vegetation (or rocks?).
very well done
Jorge

sevy (13952) 2008-02-06 5:24

Hello Stan,

Very interesting shot for its composition driving the look in deep on the photo. First plan not totally frozen, deeper the fall as white as the frozen stones in the shadows and just after, the people well visible against the sky and giving the scale.
I like the plays of the light on the frost. It is often producing interesting thing.
I agree with you in big size print, should be good. I bought some months ago a HP printer for A3+ paper. I am learning how to use it and manage the colors through ICC profile. Not easy, but very interesting. I should get soon a calibration system for printer. I hope it will improve a lot my print.

For the sharpness of scanned slides, it is something I noticed also when scanning slide films on Nikon coolscan. I understood this effect was due to the diode lightning system producing a smooth light and so decreasing a little the local micro-contrast. To get back what I was seeing with the magnifying glass on the light table, I used the following setting in Photoshop: 130%, 0.9pix, and a threshold of 2pix.
The idea was not to get the same as digital, but to get the same as looking the slides on the light table.

Yves.

indraajeet (1773) 2008-02-06 6:51

the tilted smoky fall and the blue tone creates a very romantic atmosphere. the dark green also contrasts well with the blue. wonderful scene
indrajit

JorgeCK (2598) 2008-02-06 7:22

Hi Stan,
Another incrediable shot from your wonderful gallery. Like this picture a lot. Beautifull colors with excellent contrast. Love waterfalls shots and this one is a beauty!! Excellent composition.
TFS and take care
joRge

Davidwh (3654) 2008-02-06 7:41

Hi Stan,
I had a bit of a look through your gallery and you have a very nice and interesting selection of images.This is a well thought out composition with the placement of the falls and framing of the scene.The figures give good scale of the scene and the difficult light was well handled.A lovely winter scene....TFS.
Regards, David

Griet (506) 2008-02-06 7:52

Hi Stan,
A awesome and impressive one!I like it very much!
Good POV and excellent scanwork :)

Soon I will be leaving for Lapland and I hope to catch some beautiful pics in the snow too.
I'm curious about it

see you around
Griet

melmcree (2261) 2008-02-06 8:31

Hi Stan,

This place makes me want to get under a blanket it looks so cold. All the frost covered greenery makes for a nice mood to surround the subject which is blurred very nicely. The sunlight looks a little harsh but somehow the angle it comes in from adds to the feeling of cold. Had it been warmer I might not have gotten the feeling I had.

Nice shot,

Mel

zmey (7282) 2008-02-06 9:15

hello stan

i like your crispy capture here. the note is very helpful (especially for someone like me who does not know much about film; even less about conversion of slides into digital) to understand the lack of sharpness. the light seems perfect and i like how you have placed the bright white waterfall into the frame. bright and sunny scene.

my compliments and TFS
kristaps

Photo65Net (43096) 2008-02-06 10:09

Stan,
Superb winter picture !
So great to catch these dynamics into a frozen landscape.
All elements are nicely composed, with in particular great use of the people.
Great job,
Regards,
JB.

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-02-06 14:44

Superb composition, Stan!
Some serious TOUGH light out here, flawlessly handled.
I would tend to think this is a Fuijchrome, rather than a Velvia. It's a long time since I shot those, but as we both know and as you also pointed out, Velvia's saturation and blacks are richer, indeed.
Your conversion? This is as good as it gets.
Folks with a limited analog experience, with all due respect, should realize once and for all that analog and digital are two worlds apart. My dog is a Lab, I can't have him on the racetrack competing with Greyhounds...
Wonderful picture, thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Fulvio.

gunbud (28143) 2008-02-06 20:20

Hi Stan,
Beautiful old image of this lovely narrow falls and the surrounding ice and frost fromations. Seems to these old eyes that you achieved a very clen scan here with good sharpness. The colors are rich and your POV is very effective showing the sheer cliffs to the left of the falls as well as the lookout and the people enjoying the view on this chilly day.
Regards, Tom

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japiey (9515) 2008-02-06 20:24

Dear Stan,

That's really amazing....
The falls, the snow, the human presence...all blend well with fascinating lights.
Your notes are really helpfull.
All the best, dear Stan.

jean paul

danyy (69393) 2008-02-06 22:59

Hello again Stan,
je préfère celle-ci avec un sujet franc comme cette cascade bien prise en léger filé. J'aime beaucoup aussi le givre sur les arbres.
Une glace peut-êtreun peui teintée de bleu.
Regards.
Daniel.

emjleclercq (14494) 2008-02-06 23:11

I like very much the contast between the movement of the running water cascading from the right, and the otherwise frozen landscape.
The vertical composition is perfectly chosen here.

For the sharpness, I was about to comment it before reading you note. Passing from slides to scan seems to be rather tricky: I have only but a few slides, and I am not very happy with the way they have evolve during the years (they seem to catch dust much more the the normal film) and the colors are less natural. Too bad since I had a few good ships' views in them...

All the best,

Emmanuel

jean11-3 (2799) 2008-02-07 3:14

Hi Stan, I imagine that this must have been quite a tricky shot to take[?] with the strong sunlight and the deep dark shadows.
You have certainly managed to convey the feeling of intense cold.
There are lovely textures, the trees in particular are very attractive.
I like the inclusion of the figures.The conversion to a digital image has worked very well.Good informative notes.
Tfs, regards Jean.

leo61 (43686) 2008-02-07 13:14

Hi Stan!
A good shot of this waterfall. I like the composition with the "frozen"trees and the few people at this balcony.Great POV and nice blueish tones of the snow.
Regards,Leo

[2]

plimrn (19694) 2008-02-07 13:52

Hi Stan,
I love the lacy ice of frosted trees and when you use them to frame such a beautiful waterfall, the effect is spectacular. I also find the brown FG grass and the group on the cliff make a harmonious balance for each other.
HLJ, Pat

[2]

Didi (36420) 2008-02-08 10:53

Hi Stan
I think that you choose here a difficult point of view here, not very simple to manage lights and colour.
But you have done a good work by avoiding the over-exposure.
Best regards.

Greg1949 (8519) 2008-02-15 18:51

Stan,

I like your road shots, I think you have a really good eye and everything you show seems to be something I hope I wouldn't miss along the way.

Greg

jmcl (14135) 2008-02-16 14:39

HI Stan,

Somehow I overlooked this one .. beautiful frost .. I love how you managed the dark areas and kept control of the light .. Although I love the people I think being so wide has diminished the impact of the narrow fall to some degree .. but I love the image ... the fall and the frost are a stunning and wonderful combo.

take care,

John

Dakota55 (392) 2008-03-20 9:48

This is a very nice shot, but i find the strength of the color in the foreground a little distracting. Other than that its a nicely composed and sharp shot.

Cheers Rob