It exists as a hidden microcosm to a surrounding world so different that it is almost impossible to see how the two could co-exist. In the midst of an alien desert world of Navajo Sandstone and Red Rock, Lower Calf Creek Falls, at the end of a three-mile walk up Calf Creek Canyon, is a 130′ plunge into a swimming pool lined with sand. Navajo Sandstone began 180 million years ago as towering, fine-grained dunes that eventually became cemented into solid rock containing microscopic voids that allow for seepage of water downward. The water eventually collects in the depressions, joining in ever-widening flows until a stream is borm. Calf Creek’s year-round run drops off the slickrock into a eden-like garden of wonder leaving a waterfall of delight in its path. There are many ways to express the beauty of Lower Calf Creek Falls, but I wanted to showcase the entire plunge from lip to pool. Since I wanted the falls to appear large in the image, I used a focal length of 42mm to include all of the drop, but I did not include the entire pool, which would have required a shorter focal lengthand rendered the falls smaller. I tilted up so as to include a small portion of the sky seen above the lip. The overall dynamic range of the image was such that the sky’s lightness did not ovcome the more shaded area below the falls. An aperture of f/11 allowed for depth-of-field, but more importantly, it allowed for a faster shutter speed to slow the motion of the rapidly moving water. A shutter speed of 1/5th second at ISO 100 gave me an overall medium exposure.
A 3-mile hike up? It’s beautiful! Your camera position and focal length were perfect for showing off a 130′ waterfall without including a lot of the surrounding area. Then all those lines!! So many lines all seem to be pointing to the water falling. Even the horizontal lines on the lower wall seem to exist only to hold up the wall for the falls. I enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
Howdy Don – I’ve been to Calf Creek Falls, and it makes the 3 mile hike well worth it. I spent hours there and shot many rolls of film. shot it from the right side, left side, straight on as you did, the entire falls and smaller crops of details. Your images has great exposure and detail, the cool and warm tones working to support each other. The shutter speed just enough for water blur. Thanks for the memories.
Absolutely love this photo. Thank you for sharing it.
A beautiful image, with a beautifully instructive explanation of focal length, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to create the effect you wanted. Thank you, Don.
Beautiful image of a falls I was not familiar with. The three mile hike must discourage a lot of hikers! Interesting bit of technical info on the shutter speed for the falls. So many do not realize that there is no one “perfect” speed for creating the appropriate amount of blur for a given falls. Couple that with the fact that each of us has different tastes when it comes to blur of moving water and you have an interesting topic. With rapidly falling water I like to use 1/3 to 1/4 second. Any longer and you seem to lose important detail in the water. For slow moving or low water flows I like to use 1 second or even longer to allow the flow of water to build up on the sensor thereby camouflaging the lower water flow. Of course there is always the question of available light and we sometimes need to use longer shutter speeds than we might consider ideal or up our ISO which has its own issues. Thanks for reminding me of the importance of shutter speed relative to the speed of the water flow to get the look I want.
Good morning Everyone. To quote Paul Simon, “Gee but it’s great to be back home.” It was an excellent trip to some of my favorite country on Earth, but it’s really nice to be home. Nancy T., it was a beautiful three-mile walk with little elevation change; but six miles is still six miles. I have been to this area several times, but had never taken the time to make the walk. I was really glad that I did. The area around the falls is absolutely wonderful, and I would gladly go back; and you’re right, the lines were amazing: sandstone lines, strata lines, patina lines, algae lines, and of course, the water line itself. It was fun! Hey Michael, glad I could offer you such a fond memory. Like you, I photographed it from every perspective I could imagine and every focal length as well. We were there for several hours, and you are so right, it was well-worth the time and effort. Hi Lynn, thanks for joining us and for your kind words. I know how you love waterfalls, and you would definitely have loved this one for many reasons. Hey Don; thank you. I’m really glad you appreciate the meta-data explanations as an integral part of the creative process; be well. Dorsey, thanks for joining me. I thought you would appreciate the nuances of the technical process here. Most folks do not stop to consider the choices they have available when it comes to photographing moving water, but I could not agree more that knowing the choices and deciding on a selection range can make all the difference in the world between an image that really succeeds and one that is merely so-so. I do also appreciate that you are a student of this process because it is what makes for art and distinguishes it from snapshot pictures. By the way, you will notice that the shutter speed I landed on was 1/5th second, which is very close to your stated preferences. When water is moving very rapidly I might even go 1/15th second, if possible, especially depending of the turbidity of the flow. Thanks again, everyone. Have a great week ahead.