A few weeks ago I headed off to Wilkes Dam in Brantford Ontario with a friend. Our objective was to capture some images of Bald Eagles. Well…the eagle only showed up for a minute or two and was too far away to even attempt getting a photograph. Suffice to say we ended up with a change of plan visiting Wilkes Dam.
As a back-up I brought one of my Nikon 1 J5s with me as well as the 1 Nikon 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom and 10-100mm f/4-5.6 zoom. I knew from a previous visit that there are some forested trails and some good river views below the dam.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
It was a beautifully calm morning which enabled me to compose a few riverside images with nice reflections in them. Unfortunately the pleasant, sunny weather that was forecast for the day did not materialize. Instead we had dull, grey overcast skies.
I took a couple of photographs of the dam and wasn’t particularly happy with the flat, overcast skies. Since ‘Plan B’ wasn’t working out as well as I had hoped, I decided on ‘Plan C’. This approach was to compose most of my landscape images along forest trails where I could minimize the negative effects of the dull skies.
I decided to use my 10-100mm f/4-5.6 during the walk down river, then switch to the 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 for the return journey back to Wilkes Dam.
As I strolled along the forest paths I specifically looked for tree trunks, large bushes and flowers to act as corner anchors. This helps to accentuate a feeling of depth in landscape images.
To add some variation to the colour pallet of the image collection I did a bit of work with curves in post with a few of the photographs.
I positioned myself in tight to various ‘corner anchor’ composition elements to help create a feeling of intimacy.
Some of the areas were a bit more exposed and I had to deal with a bit of light breeze from time to time. I shot in aperture priority, using ISO adjustments to help increase shutter speeds as required.
After returning upstream, I went to the car to get my tripod. I wanted to test out a new set of neutral density filters I recently purchased by creating some smooth water images.
I captured a couple of standard waterfall images hand-held to act as points of reference. When working with these images in post I used the DxO Clearview function to help get more colour and definition from the submerged surfaces.
After mounting the neutral density filters on my 10-100mm lens and affixing my J5 to my tripod head, I studied the Wilkes Dam waterfalls, looking for some interesting composition angles.
I chose much tighter compositions to focus in on small sections of the waterfalls.
While the visit to Wilkes Dam ended up being completely different than what was originally planned, it still ended up being an enjoyable experience.
Technical Note:
All images were captured using Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All photographs were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro 11, CS6 and the Nik Collection.
My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to make a modest $10 donation through PayPal to support my work it would be most appreciated. You can use the Donate button below. Larger donations can be made to tom@tomstirr.com through PayPal.
Article and images Copyright 2017 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending web sites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!
Hi Tom
Even though the sky was grey, I guess your hike in the woods went rather well. I agree that while inclement weather makes for rather flat landscape images, it also presents an opportunity to look for other perspectives — macro, long exposure water features shots, monochrome conversion-apt subjects — that otherwise will go unnoticed. Also, at times nature presents opportunities when least expected — instead of sheltering in a room when we were caught somewhat land-bound by a typhoon months ago at a seaside resort, it became an opportunity to try long exposure shots of the tempestuous sea.
Oggie
Hi Oggie,
I agree completely that when we adjust to weather conditions we often ‘see’ things we may have otherwise missed! We can often capture very dramatic images during inclement weather.
Tom
This reminds me of the place I used to go trail running in Sacramento, CA. The American River Parkway. If you ever have a chance to visit CA this is a great photo opportunity. I really like what you did with the waterfalls and the ND filter. What density was it you used? I think they would make good BW images.
I recently bought a J5 and love it. On the 13-30 I bought a 46 to 40.5 step down ring so I can use my polarizer and closeup filter. I filed down the outside threads and attached it with double sided tape. It works great.
Hi Jerry,
I stacked either 2 or 3 neutral density filters, so total value was either 2.1 or 2.7. I may do some B&W experimentation with a few images when time permits. Sounds like a good, practical solution to attach filters to the 10-30 PD zoom.
Tom
I like image number 8 and 12 the best. Wonderful area. I love wooded trails and water. Good idea to have backup plans.
Thanks Joni – I’m glad you enjoyed the images!
Tom