Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda

New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site

New Feature: SMS Notification alert

New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist

FM Forums | Photo Critique | Join Upload & Sell

Archive 2015 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

kylebarendrick 1-time assignment winner

Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

I recently hiked to these waterfalls just south of San Jose to practice some focus stacking. Both of these are blends of 4 images focused from the foreground rocks to the waterfalls in the background. The falls themselves aren't that large. I'm open to whatever thoughts anyone might have.

Uvas Canyon Upper Falls

Uvas Canyon Black Rock Falls

Mar 05, 2015 at 05:49 PM

ben egbert
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

Great focus stacking job, I have never been successful with it. These are both nice, but the first is my favorite.

Mar 05, 2015 at 06:28 PM

lighthound 10-time assignment winner

Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

I have no idea if the colors are correct but I love the rich deep colors you captured here on both images. The FG rock in first image look a little funky colored to my eyes but that doesn't mean anything.

If I had to choose one image it would be the second one IF the FG could be cleaned up or cropped to get the bottom right debris out of the shot. I love that top waterfalls in the BG.

Question, I've never attempted to do any focus stacking yet but I want to try it someday and from the research that I've done I remember reading that you should use the "sweet spot" of your lens aperture to maximize sharpness. Example F4 lens = F8. I noticed you used F14 in the last shot. Why so small?

Not that it matters because it looks good to me but I'm just curious.

Mar 06, 2015 at 10:34 AM

kylebarendrick 1-time assignment winner

Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

Thanks for the feedback. I agree about the debris in the second and frankly wish I had pulled it out of there.

Why f/14? That's easy. I messed up! I actually shot the second photo first. I started out with a small aperture to try to get everything in focus (as I normally would) and then decided to shoot for focus stacking. I forgot that I didn't want to stay at f/14 until I got to the location of the first photo. I thought about going back but didn't bother. Nice catch!

Mar 06, 2015 at 12:02 PM

AuntiPode

Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

I like 'em, but consider some clockwise rotation:

Mar 06, 2015 at 05:58 PM

lighthound 10-time assignment winner

Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

Wow, good eye Karen! I didn't even notice that but seeing it now in your edit makes me realize how much "gentler" on the eyes/brain it is.

That's really weird that such a tiny little bit can not only look better but "feel" better and yet it wasn't obvious the first time I saw it. And I thought I was pretty good at seeing this kind of thing.

Hmmm... another lesson learned today.

Mar 06, 2015 at 07:51 PM

AuntiPode

Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

The brain is highly efficient in judging lines and orientations through years of observation experience. We know instinctively some things like pools of water are naturally level. That's why something feels a little off when pooled water isn't level even if we aren't conscious of why they feel off. Therefore, checking for level is something I try to remember to check for all my images.

Mar 06, 2015 at 08:58 PM

kylebarendrick 1-time assignment winner

Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

I'm pretty sure that the camera was level, but I am a firm believer that if visual clues in the image make it look tilted, then it doesn't matter if it really is level. I agree that the rotation makes it look better. Thank you!

Mar 07, 2015 at 02:35 AM

ben egbert
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

kylebarendrick wrote:
I'm pretty sure that the camera was level, but I am a firm believer that if visual clues in the image make it look tilted, then it doesn't matter if it really is level. I agree that the rotation makes it look better. Thank you!

Watrefalls are tricky, running water does not always lie flat, after all its dropping downstream. But visual clues are what guide our eye.

Mar 07, 2015 at 09:49 AM

AuntiPode

Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Uvas Canyon Waterfalls

ben egbert wrote:
Watrefalls are tricky, running water does not always lie flat, after all its dropping downstream.

One should usually ignore how water flows, at least to a degree. However, water usually falls straight down, if viewed with the water coming towards you, although it can fall at an angle, in sufficient wind or it has angular momentum. And, the edge from which water falls need not be perpendicular to gravity, although except for falls that are quite young, it's almost always the case. But, when is the top surface of pooled water _ever_ not perpendicular to the direction of the acceleration of gravity? Correct perception of the surface of the water, of course, can be a challenge. I mention this because knowing these characteristics you can use the water surface in a pool as a level line to level an image, or falling water to set a vertical when it's viewed straight on and nothing is making it behave abnormally.

Mar 07, 2015 at 06:04 PM


FM Forums \| Photo Critique \| Join Upload & Sell

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.