Barbara Gore
October 2025 - Golden Cascade
About the Image(s)
A few years ago I took this shot at High Falls in Dupont State Park, NC. Now that it’s fall again, I’ve been going through my older images to get ideas for what I want to shoot but more importantly how I want to present it. I came across this image and decided to use it for this month’s review. The image was edited in Lightroom with adjustments made to white balance, highlights, shadows, and vibrance. I also cropped the image to remove a large tree branch that blocked the view. Then in PS, I removed any remaining distracting branches. My final edit was done in On One by adding a soft black glow.
Canon 5D Mark IV
ISO 400
24-105mm lens at 75mm
F9.0
1/60 sec
Tripod mounted
6 comments posted
Lovely image, Barbara. For your consideration, I've suggested a slightly tighter crop up from the bottom, to give viewers a more intimate view of the S-curve and golden foliage. I also removed what appears to be a stick poking into the water in the bottom left quadrant, at the upper side of the river bank. Posted: 10/07/2025 00:02:13
Fist I love fall images, since we do not have fall in Florida, and I like images that limit the color palette. Limited color makes those colors that exist so much more intense and this process creates impact. Similar to Grace I'd crop some from the bottom as it just looks too busy and none of the areas really stand out. There is nothing that can be done about the following but I wish there was a bit more substance to the trees on the right. The area of trees on the right of the upper most falls is so thin that it feels like a mistake. Having a bit more yellow in that location would create a stronger frame for the falls. Posted: 10/08/2025 22:56:04
I like the placement of the falls in the image and the S curve formed by the water, but agree with others that cropping up from the bottom would improve the image. Shutter speed for water is an artist's choice. The eye sees 1/60 sec so for me, I generally go with 0.5 sec or 1/500 depending on the effect I want. On my monitor it appears there is some wind movement in the trees, but they are sharp enough that it does not bother me. Posted: 10/16/2025 19:36:23
That's a lovely fall image, Barbara. I love the limited color palette, it really makes the image stand out. I found Michael's comment really useful, either go with a really slow shutter speed for soft water or super fast for sharpness. Another thing you could do is a composite of both and blend them together in post. That would avoid the problem with wind movement blurring the leaves on the trees. I see why the others wanted you to crop the bottom, the water perturbation on the bottom left does tend to draw the eye, but it really didn't bother me. Posted: 10/23/2025 18:39:01
Hi Barbara,
I like the diagonal line of the water going to the bottom left corner. The dodging treatment of the water at the bottom is too strong for my taste.Very good picture. Posted: 10/24/2025 13:50:56
I like the diagonal line of the water going to the bottom left corner. The dodging treatment of the water at the bottom is too strong for my taste.Very good picture. Posted: 10/24/2025 13:50:56
Thank you all for your comments. This photo was more of a quick snapshot taken during a hike rather than a planned shoot. I'll review the image again and consider everyone's comments. Thanks again! Posted: 10/25/2025 14:01:22