Today’s trip took us to the Livingstone Falls Recreation Area in a remote area of southwest Alberta. I was accompanied by Tammy Howell and Bob Bear, travelling south and east through Kananaskis Country and then taking the Highwood Trail south to our destination. It was very much an exploratory trip, not having been there before. We checked out Cataract Creek and finally settled on the Livingstone Falls Recreation Area for some shots of the creek flowing through the area.
I’m going to feature a single photo in today’s blog. I continue to experiment with long exposures in daylight, using a 9-fstop, neutral density filter. I’ve included sky shots using this same technique in earlier blogs; today was my first attempt at using it for flowing water. The principle is pretty straightforward. The filter is very dark and significantly impedes the flow of light to the camera’s sensor. It takes a long time to get the correct exposure (20 seconds in this case) and during this time that the shutter is open, any motion will be recorded continuously. The result is a smoothed, streaming effect for water. Stationary objects appear like any other photograph.
Here’s the photo.
A few things worth noting in this photo. Firstly, the crystal clear water. That’s the norm for these mountain streams. Cold too! Secondly, there’s the contrast between the sharpness of the stationary parts of the image (such as the rocks) and the soft look of the flowing water. And lastly, there are the rich colours enhanced by the length of the exposure. Long exposures produce greater colour saturation. What I really like about this photo is the transition in the water from the opaque blue/green in the centre of the image to the warmer colours of the creek bed in the foreground. The water becomes more transparent in the foreground because the angle of vision is more downward.
A single photo doesn’t mean an unproductive day. We got a number of pictures at Livingstone Falls and we had a great trip through beautiful country. We also photographed some wildlife including an elusive grizzly bear and two large, bull elk.
Hi Peter, Beautiful picture. I too love the transition of colours from left foreground to right side. I am bothered by the ? pipes I see at the top right hand side. My eye keeps going there and i wonder if the image could be stronger if the top portion with the pipes were cropped out? What do you think?
Agree, David. Decided to up-date the image with this cropped version.
Peter, I continue to be amazed by your photography. I love the explanation of what you are seeking to achieve and how you achieve the desired result. I am learning so much.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you, Peter. Great to hear from you and to know that you are enjoying the pictures. Best regards to you and Gloria.