I’ve hiked the Glenn Onoko Falls trail outside of Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania many times over the years. It is one of my favorite hikes in the Northeast. The creek drops 900 feet in a series of waterfalls into the Lehigh River. It is a steep trail but there are lots of places to stop and take photographs. On this day I realized that I had become so familiar with the place that I started breaking some photography and even some of my own rules.
Glenn Onoko Falls
Photographers learn that cloudy days or times when the subject is shaded are the ideal times to photograph waterfalls. This image was made at noon in direct sunlight while the sun created nice rays of light through the mist.
Light and Water
Photographers are also told to use a polarizer filter with flowing water in order to reduce the surface glare. In this image, the light and shadow from the plant canopy above the creek made a nice addition to the play of light and color in this little section of the creek.
Photographer at the Falls
This is a personal rule. I rarely include people in my landscapes but this young photographer stepped into the scene and held still while I was taking a 2 second exposure. Her red top contrasted nicely with the lush green around her. The flow of the creek and most of the foliage pointed right at her so it seemed right to include her in this image.
Glen Onoko Falls
I don’t think I broke any rules here, I just like this photograph from the hike.
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You caught the day perfectly! Amazing amount of water for this time of year.
Thanks Vivian, it was a one of those perfect days.
Love breaking rules… unfortunately many judges are jaded by them. Just think… that first shot would have never been taken and I as the viewer would have been robbed of seeing this beautiful composition. As a club member I was pleasantly relieved to hear that 2 digital entries would now be accepted. I love to enter one for the judge and one for myself. Fantastic set… keep breaking the rules!!!!
Thanks Mike. Good point about judges. It is rare when they judge art for arts sake and not how it complies to how a photograph is supposed to be composed and processed. By the way, you are a pretty good rule breaker yourself.
I just like the ethereal quality to this and your handling of beautiful places. I am waitng for weather to warm up so I can get out there.
Hooray for breaking the rules … I’m all for it! The first image is especially wonderful!
Thanks Denise. I had waited for the sun to go behind a little cloud but it never happened so I shot the scene anyway. I’m glad I did.
I have just had a small break (self enforced due to the stresses of print) from work and while sipping a cup of coffee, found some solace in perusing your landscape images and the thought and attention you put into it. Its absolutely superb. From your depictions of mountain ranges to your simple (I say simple in terms of the results looking so simplistic, surreal, ethereal) images of trees and lakes and take delight in it all. It wants to me to get out there and as with all these photos, you were there, I am just the viewer sitting in front of a PC screen admiring them. I dont have the pleasure of the crunch of gravel, the sounds of wind, the smell of the trees……………….oh heck reality strikes………….suffice to say I am loving your images. I need to get out to what i also so love best, people and emotion. catch you soon, keep delighting me, you do it so effortlessly.
Thank you so much for this comment, Rudi. All I’ve ever wanted with my photography is for people to feel the sense of peace that I feel in the natural world. I’m really happy to hear that you are looking to start doing what you love best. I’ve always loved your photographs of people. You have that ability to have your subjects lay out their lives before your camera. It is a skill that I’m envious of.
awesome photos! sometimes you just gotta break the rules 🙂
Thanks Jennie, I agree. It’s fun to break them.