Or…. How Many Different Things Can I screw up in more then one state on one trip
One of the things I plan on doing with this blog is share with you what I do, how I do it and where I do it, sometimes even why I do it and how and what I do it with. I don’t have a lot of money, I don’t have top of line gear, I don’t have expensive accessories. I also don’t have a lot of time on my hands to spend hours and hours traveling to and from different locations, not that I wouldn’t mind doing that. I have to admit that is the reason I do buy the occasional Powerball ticket.
With that being said…..
With vacation time that I need to use up before I lose it, I am wanting to head out and hit a Waterfall or two. This time, I am going to do something different. I am going to plan it out. I do not know if the weather is going to be alright, its Thursday night and the weather looks like it is going to be mostly cloudy with a chance of rain all weekend, great weather for shooting long exposure photography (well when I first started writing this at least LOL it is now a month later and it looks like it is going to be a good weekend). I haven’t tried doing much with blending shots so I am wanting to try that a bit. You know, shots with different exposures of the same thing and kind of blend them together so areas that would be under exposed or over exposed will be ok in the final image. Not sure exactly what that is called, maybe I need to look at a few more Youtube Videos to remember. I am going to start with the two most important tools in my Waterfall Chasing arsenal. The very dog eared and worn spined books New England Waterfalls and Connecticut Waterfalls. I am thinking of a long weekend and traveling to a couple of different waterfalls between home and Western Maine.
My Cell Phone and Tablet
Other then the books, there are a couple of other things I find just as important, my cell phone and tablet. There are apps on my phone and my tablet that I use a lot when shooting or when I am thinking about shooting, the top one being the Weather Underground app. I have always trusted their weather forecasts then The Weather Channel or the Weather Bug. Imagine my surprise when I found it is now owned by The Weather Channel. You can find all the info you will need there, the current conditions, what to expect hourly and even Radar, then there is Sunrise and Sunset times even how much Daylight is left to the day. Then there is app for my cameras, OM Image Share, which I can use to remotely control my camera, just as good as being tethered but no wires!! I have downloaded the app unto my tablet so I can see it better then on my phone. I even picked up a Tablet Holder so I can put on a tripod and be able to see it. Another app on my phone is Photo Pills, this app is amazing so many things you can do to help set up a shoot. It can help with so many things, landscapes, astro, time lapse. So many things.
All Of The Other Stuff I Will Need……
In my other post on shooting waterfalls, I talked about some of the other things I use. Tripods are very important, shooting long exposures you need something that is going to keep the camera still. I have been using a Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB 100 for the last few years and have really put it thru its paces and it has held up very well. Their customer service was fantastic when I had issues with a leg on the tripod. I kinda pulled a bit harder then I should’ve and it came apart. An easy tho it was under warranty at the time and they were more then willing to replace it because of that.
I recently bought a new Benro tripod and ball head and have just started to put it thru its paces. I was kind of looking for one and walked into my local Camera Store (The Camera Bar in Hartford CT) if it wasn’t for the fact even tho it has been at least 4 months since I had been there, they remembered that I was shooting Waterfalls and I used Olympus gear. They remembered my name…. It got them the sale LOL
I have been using another product from Benro, The Polaris. An item that I actually bought on Kick Starter. Took over a year to get in my grubby hands. This thing is great, it is basically a mechanical tripod head. I can control it with an app on my phone or my tablet. I can manually move it or set it to do it automatically, it is really great for doing multi image panoramas. The really cool thing I have with it is the Astro module. Which turns it into a star tracker. A really good one.
The next thing on my list are Neutral Density filters. If your going to shoot long exposures, your going to need these and from my experience, dont really cheap. I used cheap plastic square Cokin style filters and holder. Great to practice with, but when you start using the darker ones the colors are messed up and to be honest I don’t think are fixable in Photoshop. I then invested in Variable Neutral Density filters and they really improved my shots, but there were still problems, you go to far on the rings and you get the inevitable cross. I recently have been using screw on Neutral Density Filters from K&F and have really enjoyed the results I have been getting with them. They are inexpensive and well worth getting. I also couple them with a Circular Polarizer.
So that covers what I use to shoot waterfalls, planning up to this point has been nothing more then getting up in the morning on Saturday or Sunday and try to figure out what which waterfall I am going to try to shoot. Usually this consists of coffee and a Steak, Egg and Cheese bagel from McD’s and flipping a coin if I turn left or right when I pull out of the drive thru.
This time tho, I have a bit more time. So I am going to drive up into Vermont and see if I get some shots of a Waterfall in the Green Mountains or maybe even the elusive New England Sasquatch.
I am thinking of just going straight up Route 7 into Vermont, maybe spend the night at a campground me and my son found a few years ago. Maybe also get some night shots in, Milky Way season is winding down for the season.
So……..
I found a waterfall in Vermont and set my sights on Bully Brook Cascades in Wallingford VT. a nice 3 hour or so jaunt into Vermont, one that shouldve started alot earlier then 11 in the morning. I actually talked my brother in law Scott to tag along. Better safe then sorry when checking out waterfalls so far from home, take a Buddy, always take a buddy. A good idea especially in areas that do not have very good cell reception.
One of the good things about having my brother in law with me, is his never ending bottomless pit of a stomache which had us stop at a Taco Truck in Great Barrington MA. Los Lopez Taco Truck is their name and they were actually pretty good. Of course by the time we crossed the Mass Turnpike he had to stop and find a -ahem- crapper. It was our choice for supper that is not really sitting well with me. We actually found a sit down Pizza Hut. It seemed everything shuts their doors by 7pm on sundays on Route 7a in Vermont.
Back to the real story….
We found where I was heading and started walking into the woods. What I thought was going to be a small walk turned into a long one, I think maybe half a mile uphill, which is of course par for the course when it comes to waterfalls.
Listening to the cascading water the whole walk to the cascades was a tease. When I get there, I am looking at a very nice series of falls, this should be classified as a falls and not a cascade in my opinion. But what do I know lol. The colors of the rocks and boulders in the creek were great and I wish I had more time, but starting so late in the day cut back on my time on site and I decided to keep my camera bag (backpack kind) light and only brought the essentials, one of my OMD E-M1 MKlls and the 12-40 f2.8 PRO, my new Benro Tripod and Ball Head. If the rocks werent so slippery, I wouldve definitely taken more shots. But with a big drop behind me, that I dont think I wouldve survived, I played it carefully. My biggest issue had become the sun. It was coming thru the clouds and lighting up areas that were blowing out in my images. It was a good hike, and I will get back here again.
