As many of you know, we are in the mountains of western Virginia with our Cascades & Wildflowers of Virginia participants. It’s yet another fun group. Last night, as we all ate, peals of laughter were heard from all quarters. I can’t speak for the others, but my cheeks hurt this morning from laughing so much!

The Vision behind the Photograph – Cascades & Waterfalls

Continuing last week’s blog on the thought process that led to some of our images — the before and after, I thought I’d address water in photographs.
It is interesting how we see water when we look at the whole scene versus what we see when we follow a stick or certain pattern of water cascading down. When we see the whole scene, water looks blurry. After all, our eye is not following that stick. So when we photograph water, we like to replicate that flow of water, that sense that it is moving. Some people like to stop water, and that can be effective, too, but many people prefer that soft, ethereal look that a long exposure can bring to a water scene.

With all the rain that western Virginia has had this spring, the cascades and waterfalls are spectacular. As always, Arnie and I revisit our locations to make sure nothing has gotten flooded, a road washed out, or a favorite old building been renovated so that it has lost its photographic charm.

These photographs all show how Arnie and I chose to interpret various scenes. They were all made in the same general location, but we focused in on different aspects.
Arnie loved the idea of the falls at night (see above). With a long exposure, he brought out detail in the sky that was a counterpoint to the falls. For me, I loved the patterns I found in the details down below (mountain goat access only).

These I found by perusing the scene and paying attention to what caught my eye, my peripheral vision. Then I set about composing the photographs to my liking.

This morning, we are headed out to another cascades area. It will be interesting to see how our participants progress and interpret their vision behind their photographs.

Meanwhile, we will continue to revisit the Vision behind the Photograph in future blogs.

Upcoming Workshops

With all the great deals on airfares, we are also excited to announce that we have added Spain’s Catalonia & Barcelona (June 21-28) to our workshop roster.

We love Spain and were delighted when this opportunity presented itself.

While you’re at the website, check out our other offerings. If you are considering joining us, do as others have already done … make your room reservations. Rooms go quickly at all our locations, but particularly for Canyon de Chelly & Navajoland, where there are few hotels and New England Fall Foliage, because of reunions, leaf peepers, and football games. Remember, you can always cancel later if necessary and not pay any penalty! If “our” inn or hotel is full, or if you prefer to stay elsewhere, we always have links to other choices.

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