If I photographed Bond Falls a thousand times, I would wish to photograph it a thousand more. The beautiful upper cataract on the Middle Branch of the Ontonagon River, surrounded by Ottawa National Forest, is always so captivating as to draw me back and to look for new ways to express its charm. It has been so for 14 years, and it was no different as we scouted the Upper Peninsula workshop about to begin. Even when the colorful reflections are not the subject there is much beauty here to lend itself to creative imagery. The answer to the obvious question is that there were lots of maple leaves scattered over the rock out of sight, and even though I did not place these, someone before me might well have done so – or Mother Nature could have been extremely helpful – whichever you prefer. I wanted to point my camera up the length of the stream, bringing in both sides as the bed receded in the background, but to emphasize the foreground drops for which this section of river is known. The rock ledges became lines to lead the eye into the interior of the image, and the leaves were just nice colorful extras. A focal length of 60mm provided the angle of view I wanted. An aperture of f/13 at ISO 100 gave me a shutter speed of 1/4th second (and a medium overall exposure). The chosen shutter speed allowed me to express the flow of the whitewater as somewhat silky, but not overly so; and the chosen aperture – with the camera-to-subject distance – provided the depth-of-field I needed. The beauty of Bond is always compelling, from any angle.
Beautiful image Don! I can see why you’ve gone back and photographed this place many times. There are sites in New England I keep revisiting and see something new every time I go there.
A welcome home exquisite photo Don! Bob and I just returned from a three week trip to CA including photos taken in Zion and Arches National Parks. I now have about 800 shots to sort through. I would like just one to rival this one. Karen Geiken
Very nice image, Don, and an excellent discussion of composition!
I couldn’t agree more. How many thousands of compositions are there to be found at Bond Falls? I never tire of this beautiful spot. I like how you have lined up the ledges to create somewhat of a backwards “S”. It doesn’t appear that the color has peaked there yet. It makes zero difference to me whether you, some other photographer/artist, or nature placed the leaves there. I will occasionally place leaves in my compositions with no apologies. They are leaves that are lying close by and could have just as easily been blown there by the wind. I hate the pictures I see published by well known photographers that look like the leaves were laid out on a checker board. That is not the way nature operates. On the other hand I fail to understand why an artist with paints and brushes can be applauded when they insert objects into their art that weren’t there but the photographer/artist is subjected to much criticism if they do so. It probably has something to do with the old adage that “pictures don’t lie”. However, art photography is not journalistic photography and for one I appreciate the spot of color in this otherwise almost monochromatic image regardless of how the leaves got there. Since I can’t be there this year take an extra frame or two for me!
I can feel the POWER!!! HAVE A GREAT UP
I hope everyone is having a wonderful time in the UP. This is a magical spot during a magical time of year. Anyone that is able to be there to witness it, camera or not, is very blessed. You have captured the magic in this image. The leaves in the foreground are serving as a beauty mark for mother nature. The leaves also give us some idea of the size of the falls. It is a powerful image with the “S” curve Dorsey mentioned and all the thousands of lines holding it all together and showing the relationships between the water and rock. There are so many stories here that I could go on and on, but I’ll just say thanks for sharing the magic with us.
Oh my this is spectacular unbelievable mesmerizing I only which I could have been there thank you for sharing this moment
Good morning Everyone. Leaving the UP is always difficult, but we have images to last a lifetime and friendships that are forever.
Thank you all for joining me for this conversation; it’s always fun to talk about one of my favorite places, and Bond Falls is high on my list for several reasons.
Hey Ron. It’s great to hear from you. Thanks for your kind comments. Knowing how you love to return to many of the beautiful places in your part of the country, I know how my comments must have resonated with you; and I am grateful.
Hi Karen. It sounds like you enjoyed a wonderful three weeks. As you go through all of your creations, I’ll look forward to hearing about them, and somehow I feel certain that there are many you will love.
Hey Donald. I really appreciate your comments. Thanks so much for joining us. That you enjoyed my discussion is sufficient reward for my efforts.
Dorsey, I always appreciate your thoughtful and astute observations; and I could not agree more. Your comments mirror my thoughts exactly. This Image was taken during our scouting of the area prior to the workshop and by the time we returned, the color was glorious. We thought of you and your love of this place.
Hello Robert. Thanks very much for joining us. Now that it’s over, I can tell you that it was an excellent trip.
Hey Nancy T., I always appreciate what you have to share, and like Dorsey, we thought of you when we were at Bond. We recall our time there with you and know that there are many more stories your could tell. Thank you for the ones you do and for reminding us of why this place is so special.
Hi Dana. Thank you for being with us and for sharing your observations. Somewhere down the road I hope you will be able to join us for an adventure.
Thanks, again, Everyone. I am always grateful for the thoughts we share around these places I am blessed to visit. Have a beautiful fall wherever you travel.