Towards evening, we left Muker's glorious meadows and walked down into the gorge that holds Kisdon Force, near the hamlet of Keld. The light was beginning to drop but we had tripods. Lizzie was showing me how to use Lee Filters to slow down the shutter speed on my camera in order to blur the water and reduce the tonal difference between the sunlit trees and the shadowed waterfall. I'm not sure I can justify buying filters or carrying them around, but they do make a clear difference to the end result and I think the photo looks crisper overall too.
This is the lower falls and there is another big cascade a few hundred yards upstream. There wasn't much water coming over the falls really. It has been a very dry couple of months here. It won't be long, I fear, before we're being told it's a drought and being asked to conserve water! It's been a few years since that happened.
What you can't see are the thousands of midges: nasty little biting creatures that are extremely irritating! I've a stretchy buff that I wear around my neck when I'm out walking, to cushion my camera strap and prevent sunburn. It came in very useful to pull up over my hair to keep the midges off, even if it looked a bit stupid. Believe me, you don't care a fig about glamour when there are midges around!!
They're trying to frighten us into conserving water down here at present, but it won't be long before they back it up with hosepipe bans.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving your body to midges for your art! I've always wondered why the water is blurred, since it doesn't look that way in real life, but you are right about how the filter does equalize the lighting and make everything more balanced and sharp.
ReplyDeleteAn impressive waterfall, even in a dry period.
ReplyDeleteThe Environment Agency has legal powers to direct water from the fast dwindling reservoirs. Last week they closed the Leeds and Liverpool canal between Gargrave (your recent walk, Jenny) and Wigan. The River Aire receives extra water from Winterbourne Reservoir.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I notices was the blurring water. It is a nice effect. I nearly always shoot with too fast a shutter speed to get blurs, and afterward I kick myself for not taking the time. Then again, I handhold most of my photos and only use a tripod on special occasions. Filters? Too much work . . .
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice shot. I haven't heard of Lee Filters before. I just use a slow speed and high ISO but I can see how the filter does a good job.(as well as the photographer)
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