The Power of Diagonals

 

Getting a LINE on Photographic Composition
 
This week’s blog is a quick reminder of one of the simplest, yet most effective compositional tools for your photography, the diagonal.Artists are always looking for paths to good composition. Given all the available guidelines, the search can become very confusing. Some, such as the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Rule, can seem quite strict, but many can be distilled to simple guidelines. Don't put your subject in the middle of the frame, avoid distracting elements, watch your background and keep the horizon straight. I was deeply entranced by photography long before I had learned anything about compositional rules and I am still governed more by how the image feels in my eye than by what element happens to fall upon any arbitrary line. Excessive attention to rules can distract from the innate power of the subject, but taking advantage of some simple compositional elements can add energy and direction to your images. One of the simplest of such elements is the diagonal line.

Peaceful Horizontals

Power of the Diagonal
It’s not complicated. Diagonal lines can add energy, direction and movement to an image. The lines may run from bottom to top, clear across the image, dividing it into segments, or they may be isolated to one section of the image. Diagonals are most powerful when they point to something of significance. I have previously discussed the use of diagonals to draw the eye to the subject of the image. It is always important to consider where the lines are pointing, but diagonals can also stand on their own as

Diagonal Energy

dominant elements. Multiple Diagonal lines can interact or intersect in interesting ways that can become the primary subject of the composition. Sadly there are also rules that can be applied to intersecting diagonals. In the future I may discuss the "Diagonal Method", but first I better understand it better. 

Add caption

 

 Pick Your Elements
Diagonals may be created by an infinite variety of linear and nonlinear elements. trees, rocks, flowers, shore lines, hills, clouds, shadows, or even people can all work beautifully. Some photographers enjoy creating diagonals by leaning the frame off plumb, but, being a fanatic for straight horizons, I tend to look for other element within the frame to achieve the effect. Of course if the horizon is not visible you can usually go crazy. 

Telling a Story

Embellishing the Story

Let the Eye Guide
Far beyond the slavish adherence to any didactic compositional theory, the best way to appreciate the effect of diagonals is to look at some images. Pictures with lines running parallel to the frame tend to have a more relaxed mood which can be perfectly appropriate for some subjects, but to my eye, diagonally constructed images show a clear advantage in energy and cohesiveness. 

Static Prom Photo

Will He Eat the Lily?

 


For now I would suggest looking for diagonals to add some energy to your images. It is simple, effective and gluten free!


 

Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Revealed ! Rediscovering a Couple of Photographic Treasures

Change is Not Always Bad

Chesterfield Gorge

The only thing which is constant in New England Landscape is change.  The weather changes moment to moment.  The seasons are marvelously persistent in their rotation of color, mood and photographic opportunities.  This is what makes living and photographing in New England such a joy.  Just when you are becoming bored with the prevailing light and subjects, something changes.  We are going through one of those changes right now as the snow, and especially the cold!, have faded and we await the explosion of the variations of green that will trumpet the onset of our wonderful spring.






Change isn't always pleasant or productive.  You have repeatedly

Screening Jenne Farm, Reading Vermont

heard me bemoan the change that can rob us photographic opportunities.  Classic New England buildings have collapsed, or been torn down.  Centuries old trees have finally fallen to effects of time and nature, and beautiful, natural vistas have been choked with obstructing trees, bushes or new structures.  All very sad, but this week I was reminded by two examples that show how sometimes things can actually get better and, surprisingly these revelations occurred because, rather than in spite of human intervention.


Chesterfield Gorge Revealed

Last week I was revisiting some of my favorite local waterfalls to

Gorge Overgrowth, November 2012

supplement my blog article about waterfalls in Cheshire County.  Chesterfield Gorge on Route 9 between Keene and Chesterfield New Hampshire is a lovely little park that includes beautiful cascades and dramatically plunging falls. The 0.7 mile loop trail descends on one side of the steep gorge and back up on the opposite side.  Along the way there are frequent excellent views of the tumbling water, but in recent years small trees and shrubs have grown up along the steep bank to obstruct the view of the most dramatic of the waterfalls.  The tumbling 75 foot drop was screened by a tangle of branches in the winter and nearly obliterate by summer foliage. The gorge has been largely ignored by the state, but in the last few years a group of dedicated volunteers have

Liberated Gorge, April 2014

formed the "Friends of Chesterfield Gorge" and have been working tirelessly to improve gorge's facilities and trails.  I recently approached one of the Friends about the overgrowth at the falls and he told me that they had already taken care of much of the problem.  On my visit last weekend I was thrilled to have my first clear view of the falls in years.  A few stray branches remain and will become more evident as they fill with foliage, but overall it is an amazing improvement.  Thanks to the Friends I actually can celebrate the return of a classic photographic site.  Take THAT entropy!

Jaffrey Meeting House View


The Jaffrey Meeting House is the focus of the Old Jaffrey Center. 

Jaffrey Meeting House

Separated from the developed hub of the town, the old center wonderfully preserves the sense of a classic New England village.  The Meeting House was raised on June 17, 1775, the day of the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was recorded that the workers could hear the distant canon fire from Charlestown over 60 miles away.  I have photographed the Meeting House from
all directions and in all seasons.  It overlooks a peaceful green and a classic stonewall bordered New England cemetery. 

Wooded Cemetery, August 2006

 In past years the cemetery featured a scattering of stately old trees shading

Cemetery Cleared

portions of the grounds and providing interesting patterns of light and shadow, but the trees created another problem.  I have seen old pictures of the Meeting House standing proudly with Mt Monadnock majestically looming in the background, but I was never able to find a angle with a clear view of the mountain.  The trees on the green and within the cemetery had grown to smother the once perfectly aligned tableau.  In the winter I could see through the web of branches to get a sense of the glorious view, but I could never find a way to avoid the screen.  Last year I was a bit annoyed to discover that the Meeting House caretakers had removed some old trees from the cemetery and green.  As a devote tree-huger, I mourned the loss, but on a visit this spring I realized what had been done.  It was with a sturdy dope slap that I turned around and saw that the vista to Mt Monadnock seems to have been restored.  The final verdict will need to wait until the leaves fill in, but, at this point it looks like the mountain will be shining through.  I can't wait to recreate my Meeting House pictures this year to include the mountain in all its majesty throughout the seasons.  My tears for the lost trees have dried.  Now if we can only get them to bury the damn wires!

To Monadnock, April 2014

 
Over the last couple of weeks, my whining about the fading beauty of classic New England landscapes has muted a bit.  I find myself looking for other situations where man or nature has improved the view.  It just confirms that New England is about all sorts of change and that's why I think I'll hang around here for awhile.

Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com

Waterfalls of Cheshire County

Catsbane Mill Falls

Photographing the Falling Water Season

The snow is fading fast and, as we wait for the buds to explode into their exuberant range of greens, we are thoroughly into falling water season.  Waterfalls are the main attraction this time of year.  With the snow run-off and spring rains, streams that are normally a mere trickle become roaring torrents.  What better time to share some of my favorite falls in my home territory of Cheshire County, New Hampshire.  I would not pretend to know all the waterfalls in the county.  Even after exploring the region for almost 35 years there are still locations about which I have only heard stories.  Last week I talked about one waterfall that I have sought for several years.  I'm still not certain that I have found Pulpit Falls in Winchester, NH, but I plan to go back soon to confirm the location.
http://jeffnewcomerphotography.blogspot.com/2014/04/finding-pulpit-falls-possibly.html
 

Chesterfield Gorge Flow

Included here are several of my favorite waterfalls that are accessible to the public.  There are other falls on private land, but to visit these you would need to establish your own relationship with the owner.

Waterfall photography is not difficult.  All you need is good boots, and a sturdy tripod to hold your camera for the long exposures that turn chaotic boiling water into the soft, cotton candy appearance that is so popular.  Another essential is a number of clean lens cloths to keep the mist from fogging your lens.  As I discussed in a previous article, getting the right exposure for your taste is always a matter of experimentation.   So gear-up and let's go exploring.


1) Beaver Brook Falls, Keene
Beaver Brook Falls is located in a secluded spot about one half mile up a abandoned road which is a section of the old route that

Beaver Brook Falls

traveled from Keene to Concord.  The falls cascade over a rocky ledge and drops about ten feet into Beaver Brook.  The flow varies a good deal depending on the season and recent rainfall.  The falls can be photographed from the road or from along the brook, but the footing along the bank is slippery.
Directions: Take Washington Street north of Keene's Central Square.  Just before the road rises to merge with Route 9, take a right on the Old Concord Road and then a quick left on the Washington Street Extension.  This road ends shortly at metal gates.  From here the falls is about a half mile walk up the gently rising abandoned road.



 

2) Forty Foot Falls, Surry
This water fall, which is part of Merriam Brook in Surry, NH, is one of the least well known in the region, but can be quite

40 Foot Falls

spectacular. This anonymity is probably due to a number of factors including the fact that the falls is tucked away along a neglected unmarked dirt path and is partially accessed across a decaying bridge. Unfortunately, the actual falls are at the head of a deep, narrow ravine, bordered by shear rocky cliffs. It is nearly impossible to get a full view of the falls. Probably the best angle comes from above the falls, but I have also captured views from across the bridge looking up stream. I have always felt that the best part of

40 Foot Falls, Downstream

Forty Foot Falls is actually the other, more accessible, waterfalls and cascades that are below the tallest drop. This section is accessed with a short bushwhack from a turn out on the road just below the trail to the main falls.
Directions: Take Court Street north from Central Square in Keene.  At the second traffic circle bare right onto Route 12a.  After 4.3 miles take a left on Joslyn Road. The turn off to the lower portion of the falls is on the left about 1/2 mile up Joslyn Road.  






 

 3) Chesterfield Gorge, Chesterfield
The Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area includes 13 acres located in

Big Drop, Chesterfield Gorge

Chesterfield, New Hampshire off Route 9. The area features a .7 mile Wilderness Loop Trail which follows Wilde Brook through the Chesterfield Gorge. It is an easy/moderate hike along the edge to the bottom of gorge.  Along the way there are various points to observe the brook as it cuts through steep rock formations and over a series of waterfalls and cascades. The hike can be easily completed in under an hour, but you will want to linger to enjoy and photograph the beauty and drama of this majestic area.
Directions: The Gorge Natural Area is located on Route 9 west of Keene, NH.  It is about 5.6 miles west of the intersection of Routes 101 and 9 in Keene. Look for the sign on the right side of the road.  The area has a parking lot which accesses the trial.  In recent years Chesterfield Gorge has been supported and maintained by a dedicated group of private citizens in the Friends of Chesterfield Gorge.  

Wilde Brook Cascade

 
4) Ashuelot Falls, Keene

Ashuelot Falls

Ashuelot Heron

Ashuelot River Park is a lovely 157 acre oasis in the center of Keene, New Hampshire.  The park includes a mill dam waterfall dating back to 1775.  The mill pond to provided water power for the manufacturing of theday.  Now the pond  supports a diversified population of wildlife which is accessible from a number of well maintained trails. Just above the waterfall is a beautiful suspension foot bridge spanning the Ashuelot River.  The falls can be viewed from either side of the river and on the east side you can stop by Starbucks to get overpriced coffee before settling on a bench to watch the flow.
Directions:  Heading west from Keene’s Central Square along West Street the River Park is across from the Colony Mill. Just pull into the parking lot and, in the summer,  you can grab some ice cream from the truck stationed at the entrance.

River Park Bridge

5) Mt Wantastiquet Falls, Hinsdale

Wantastiquet Falls

Mt Wantastiquet sits on the Connecticut River between Chesterfield and Hinsdale, across the River from Brattleboro, Vermont.  The
1335 foot summit is accessed by a switchback trail which begins across the bridge from Brattleboro behind the former Walmart building at the end of Mountain Road.  At the beginning of the trail, just above the small parking lot, there is nice waterfall cascading down the long the corridor cut to provide electrical access to the summit.  The falls can be viewed from the trail, but a closer approach involves negotiation of a very steep and often wet path along the edge.  The waterfall varies in intensity depending on run-off and rainfall.  Naming it Wantastiquet Falls is totally my own invention.  You can call it whatever you like.


 

 6) Catsbane Brook, Chesterfield

Catsbane Cascade

The Catsbane Brook flows through West Chesterfield to the Connecticut River.  As the brook tumbles through the village it shoots through a number of nice cascades and over a couple of dramatic old mill falls.  Much of this activity is not apparent as you drive through the village and requires some exploration, owner permitting.  One nice cascade is easily seen from the Farr Road as it crosses the brook between the village and the flat section that leads to the  Connecticut.
Directions:  From Keene take a right on Brook Road which becomes River road in the village.  Just watch for the Bridge on the left as you head northwest from the village.

Catsbane Falls

 

Perkins Pond Falls, Troy
The view of Mt Monadnock from across Perkins Pond on Route 124 in Troy, New Hampshire is one of my favorites and perhaps the

Perkins Pond Falls

most famous perspectives on the mountain.  It is less know that Perkins Pond drains from its western end through a gorge that includes a series of cascades and over a lovely secluded waterfall.  The falls can be seen from the edge of he gorge, but approaching its base is difficult.  The brook bed must be reached from down stream and the scramble back up to the falls can be tricky, especially when the brook is running high.
Directions :  Take Route 124 south from Marlborough, New Hampshire.  Turn right on Monadnock Street just after passing across Perkins Pond and then left onto a dirt road in 0.2 miles.  This road ends quickly at a steel gate and just before a path to the left leads across a bridge and then along the stream to the falls.

This is a short list of only a few of my favorite local waterfalls.  I plan to take advantage of  this year’s falling water season to find some of the other cascades and falls in the region.  I hope to see you out there.


Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

Finding Pulpit Falls, Possibly

 This week's blog is a short discussion of my search for a back woods waterfall.  Nothing very special, but it is these quests that make photography in the wild a constant adventure.  It is all about the thrill of the quest.

With the end of winter (hopefully) New England photographers

Catsbane Tributary Chesterfield, NH

turn there attention to waterfalls.  Falling water is the one thing that helps us survive the early spring season until the foliage begins to explode.  I have been planning a blog to highlight my favorite falls in Cheshire County, much like my article last year about the cluster of waterfalls in Hillsborough County.  My favorites list includes many great nearby locations that I visit on a regular basis, but then I made the mistake of Googling "Waterfalls in Cheshire County".  A number of nice lists came up in the search and I was horrified to realize how many of the falls I had never explored or even heard of. There is no way I could find all these falls for my article, but one popped out from the list.  Pulpit Falls in Winchester, NH 



Pulpit Falls

The Wrong Falls

Pulpit falls has been a bit of a torment to me for several years.  I have seen a few picture of the falls in Flickr and have found acouple of descriptions with directions that seemed rather vague.  I had tried to find the falls a few years ago but went up stream instead of down from the road.  I ended up finding a nice cascade, but it was definitely NOT pulpit Falls.  Every so often since,  I have looked for clearer directions to the falls and finally decided that an article about the waterfalls of Cheshire County was a reasonable excuse to give it another try.  The Wicked Dark Photography Blog had a nice story about finding the falls and armed with this description and others I headed  south to Winchester to try my luck again.

 

Looking West on Route 10, Winchester, NH

Pulpit Falls is located on Pauchaug  Brook, off of  Route 10 in Winchester, New Hampshire.  Coming from Chesterfield, I headed down Route 63 toward Northfield Massachusetts and turned east on Route 10.  The standard descriptions instruct visitors to look for  a rather sharp curve to the left a few miles down the road.  Toward the beginning of the curve  there is a jeep road on the right with a broad should on the left to allow parking.  I had to drive by twice before I caught sight of the road.  The point on the map was set by my GPS coordinates of:  
 42 43' 52"
-72 24' 31"
   It lies about 2.4 miles east of the intersection of Route 63 and Route 10.


Nellie and I descended the rough unplowed road and quickly found

Pauchaug Brook

Pauchaug Brook.  From that point all the directions advised to bushwhack up the stream until you find the falls.  On my visit last Saturday, the weather had warmed, but the stream was north facing and there was still a foot or more of snow in the gorge.  Sadly I did not bring my snowshoes and it was a struggle slogging through the cover.  I frequently sank to my knees and the snow snatched away the basket on my one walking pole.  I found two sturdy sticks that

Lower Cascade with a touch of Toning

worked better to keep me above the deep snow and pressed on. After a short distance I heard the welcome sound of falling water and I soon came upon two levels of cascades. Unfortunately both falls we're encased in ice and it was impossible to get a clear view to confirm that I had actually found the elusive Pulpit Falls.  The terrain beyond this point appeared flat and uninteresting and without sight or sound of other falls, but until I can get back to explore when the snow has cleared, all I can say is that I was sure I had found the right starting point and I may have found Pulpit Falls.  

Upper Cascade

The Falls One Week Later

 The descriptions of Pulpit Falls always portray a modest cascade, but modest as it may be, the search has become something of a quest, and questing is one of the great attractions of natural photography.  Hopefully my description will make it a bit easier for others to find this spot.  I'll be back to confirm the location of the falls, and then it will be on to Frye Falls in Walpole.  There is NO excuse for me not knowing all the major falls in my backyard.



Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com