Yin Yang Winter

Yin Yang Winter

I think I must have photographed this waterfall at least a dozen times. I have used it for background in  portraits, and I have photographed it at different times of the year. I think that, out of all the images I have of this waterfall, this is my favorite.

The falls are fed by a warm spring, and they cascade over a cliff of basalt. They are tucked into a small canyon which is cut into the welded volcanic ash that makes up the surrounding mesas. There is a state highway a stones throw away, but it can neither be seen nor heard.

As usual, when photographing moving water, I used a slow shutter speed, about .5 seconds, and stopped down for a wide depth of field to make sure everything was in sharp focus. The longer exposure time requires a sturdy tripod and head, and a remote release.

Equipment: Nikon F100, Nikon 35–70 mm f2.8 lens 4x ND filter, Fuji Velvia 50 ISO.

Processing: Nikon CoolscanV, curves adjustment, and greyscale conversion in Photoshop.