I took this shot of Skógafoss with a 70-200mm lens, a circular polarizer, and a neutral density filter. I needed a longish shutter speed to blue the surface of the water in bright conditions, so that the rainbow would stand out against a smooth background. The neutral density filter helped with that – and the polarizer allowed me to increase the shutter speed even more, while also helping to bring out the brilliant colors in the rainbow. With both filters, I could reduce the shutter speed to .6 seconds at f/11. Just enough to smooth the water to my liking.
This was such a beautiful location – but the climb was steep. After my little run-in with the icebergs the day before, I couldn’t climb the hill… so I stayed behind. At first I planned to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful sunshine while I waited, but the more I looked at the falls, the more I wanted to shoot it. The view from below wasn’t very exciting… I wanted something a little different. And this is the result. This was the best weather of the entire trip, too. Warm and sunny! Such pleasure after yesterdays difficulties!
nice work. Sharing post info would be cool as well, as I’m sure there’s a little more to it then just exposure settings and filters used.
Hmm… in this case, not much, Jack. Post-processing took about 30 seconds. I checked my white balance, reduced the clarity slightly for very slight softness, and cropped just a bit to remove a tiny dark area in the corner. I try to get it right in the camera so that I can spend more time in the field and less in front of a computer… though that doesn’t always work. ;)
I like you work. I am an emerging landscape photographer here in Florida. Do you have workshops?
Thanks, Clive! We are teaching a workshop in California this April. Here’s the link… http://www.jaypatelphotography.com/photography/workshops/beyond-exposure-ca201
Good luck with your photography!