photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty: Expressing the force and beauty of moisture in motion > Cascade, Hot Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006
previous | next
26-SEP-2006

Cascade, Hot Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 2006

A cascade is a small waterfall that falls in stages down a rocky slope. Although at first glance, this image may seem to be a grand view of a vast series of waterfalls, I was actually standing on a boardwalk directly over the cascade, which covers only few feet of space, and using a focal length of about 45mm. It makes a good subject for a “wispy water” interpretation. Using a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/13th of a second, hand-held, I was able to get just enough blur into the fast flowing cascade to evoke a sense of turbulence. It is not quite the silky smooth water one would get with the camera on a tripod and a longer time exposure, but in this case, silkiness would not have expressed the idea I had in mind.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50
1/13s f/9.0 at 9.8mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis27-May-2007 21:00
Thanks, Trica for linking your own images to your comment. You seem to be trying to get a similar effect as I am getting here by using a hand-held exposure instead of putting your camera on a tripod to turn the water to silk.
You are right -- "wispy water" can be more energetic in nature, looking more forceful than it actually is. You can also avoid the overexposure that often comes with very long exposures.
flowsnow27-May-2007 01:08
Phil, I was browsing through your waterfall shots trying to see your interpretation of them. I never got around in finding a way to interpret landscape shots. This image in particularly reminded me of one shot I took for my `In Motion' Gallery :http://www.pbase.com/flowsnow/image/75883807 andhttp://www.pbase.com/flowsnow/image/77075456. Very often I am like the rest, I try to shoot using the slowest possible shutter speed to get the silky effect. Very often the shot turns out looking `strange' probably overexposed. I still like to take it as it is handheld generally. I feel the same with you in regards to your description about this shot. My purpose of the shots I took were to emphasise the `gushing' (my way of expression) water flowing down resembling the falls but in actual fact it was just taken at corner of some rocks of th flowing water.
Phil Douglis08-Mar-2007 15:11
Primeval moment! What a wonderful phrase to describe the effect of this image. And yes, there are elements of creation in this image as well -- it's all in the motion. The beauty here is in that blend of motion and steam from the surging hot water colliding with the rocks.
Guest 08-Mar-2007 08:29
This feels like the earth being born, with bits of molten material being struck solid by the gushing, erupting water. A primeval moment, with rich colors, and powerful motion. A most beautiful photo, Phil!
Phil Douglis31-Oct-2006 17:29
Tim sees leaves. You see little pockets of gold. They are one and the same, Jenene. I love your metaphorical hyperactive dogs caught in a chaotic dash. It is a tiny area but a lot is going on in it.
JSWaters31-Oct-2006 15:28
It is a dance (although I'm not seeing the leaves Tim sees). The white, silky water reminds me of the tails of hyperactive dogs caught in a chaotic mad dash around some corner. I love how the light skirts around the perimeter and illuminates little pockets of gold. Great energy in this.
Jenene
Phil Douglis29-Oct-2006 02:14
Thanks,,Darlene. Glad you checked out my site and this image. One of the reasons I can make a shot like this one is because of the image stabilization system on the FZ50. If you check under the captions, you will see what camera I used to make the shot. This one was, indeed, the FZ50. I have no experience with the Canon S3is or the FZ7, but I can vouch for the image quality and overall ease of operation of the FZ50.
Darlene Martin 29-Oct-2006 01:40
This shot is totally awesome.......found you through dpreview...I'm always checking out the panasonic forums...cause I'm looking to upgrade to a higher level digital...and am really interested in the Lumix FZ50....I'm assuming these shots are with that camera.?...these are just awesome..!!...and you're so right....camera is only the tool..the magic is through the person using it....but you are getting awesome results with it..!!......I belong to flickr.com.....it is a really helpful site...

I keep trying to decide between two camera...canon S3is...and the fz50...or the fz7..but the one that feels most comfortable to me is the fz50....love the idea of the super zoom.....and not packing extra lenses around....and the manual zoom ring is nice..that you can put the picture right where you want it.........love any comments that you have on yours...if you are willing to connect..!....thanks again for sharing your awesome collection..!!!
Phil Douglis27-Oct-2006 20:59
As you know, I am not big on "silky" waterfalls -- I find that effect often is an aritfice that calls attention it itself at the expense of content. But in this case, the variation in water speed creates a blend of silk and force. It is, as you say, a combination of flow and texture, and I can feel that dance among the scattered leaves you mention, as well.
Tim May27-Oct-2006 20:34
I like this "touch" of silkiness which allows the texture to also play a part in the image. This combination of flow and texture create a kind of dance for the leaves scattered through-out the frame.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment