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| Man in the Falls, Garwin Falls |
I have spent years exploring the
many waterfalls in my corner of New England. Some of these, like
Chesterfield Gorge and Garwin Falls, are well known and accessible, but others
are harder to find. This last weekend I had a great time sharing many of these
falls with a group of enthusiastic photographers, during my first Spring
Waterfall Weekend.
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| Shooting Garwin Falls |
Early spring in New England,
especially before the buds begin to explode, is a time of mud, sticks and
overcast skies. It can be a depressing time for landscape photographers, but it
is saved by being one of the best seasons for waterfalls. The melting snow and spring rains fill even the
smaller brooks and the overcast light is perfect for capturing long exposures
of falling water. I scheduled my waterfall workshop for a time when I
hoped there would still be a vigorous spring flow, but at the beginning of the
week I began to fear that things were drying up. I didn’t need to worry,
since the late week rains had the exact effect that I desired.
Friday Night, Meet & Greet, and Eat
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| Pond Brook Falls to the Catsbane |
I had a full crew of participants,
with 9 being the maximum that I can comfortably fit around my dining room table
for discussion, critiques and, of course, snacks. We first gathered
Friday evening for a chance to meet everyone, and I was able to discuss
key elements of the photography of flowing water. We reviewed the
importance of a sturdy tripod, a cable release and, of course, a polarizing
filter. I had sent an email listing the important equipment and most of
the class was ready to go. There were a few cheap shaky tripods, but, if
the workshop accomplished nothing else, I am confident that there will be some
substantial tripod purchases coming soon.
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| Cheap Protection |
The weather was threatening with intermittent
rain showers predicted. I spent time discussing the importance of proper rain
gear and protection for their equipment, and measures to assure safety on steep
slippery slopes. The mantra, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just
inadequate clothing”, seemed well ingrained. Happily, I didn’t loose
anyone.
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Saturday
Hillsborough County
Saturday, I led the group on a drive
to Wilton NH, to explore the rich collection of waterfalls in Hillsborough
County. With so much to see, the challenge was to allow enough time at
each falls, while still having time to sample a variety of locations. We
were able to visit, Garwin Falls, Frye’s Measure Mill, Lower Purgatory Falls,
and Senter Falls. With time restrictions, we had to let Tucker Brook
Falls wait for another day. I guess it is always good to leave them
wanting more.
The weather was great for waterfall
photography, with overcast skies, occasional fog, and some of the strongest
flows that I have seen in this area. The light, intermittent rain required
shielding of the equipment, but I heard no complaints from my intrepid team.
Garwin Falls
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| Twin Falls, Part of Garwin Falls |
It was perhaps a mistake to start
off with the dramatic Garwin Falls. I was concerned that, after Garwin’s
powerful and multi-level cascades, other falls might seem tame, but
everyone quickly appreciated that each waterfall has its own unique character
and opportunities for image making. They learned that the best waterfalls
are not always the strongest. The recent rain also overflowed the
reservoir above Garwin Falls providing misty views of the veiled waterfall and
underlying cascades.
I spent much of my time
chasing after people as they scattered around the locations. Prime topics of
discussion included, exposure (exposing to the right but avoiding blowing out
the highlights in the water), the use of the polarizer (many seemed to have
trouble
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| Below the Reservoir |
adjusting the filter for maximum effect) and the critical effect of
shutter speed (finding the speed that captures soft water without loosing a
touch of texture). A particular challenge was trying to keep water
droplets off of the lens. I tried to stress the importance of keeping the
lens cap on until ready to shoot and, when exposed, keeping the camera pointed
down. Despite the best precautions, drops will form and must be checked
before beginning to shoot.
Frye’s Measure Mill
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| Frye's Measure Mill |
My next goal was Lower Purgatory
Falls, but before we descended to Purgatory, I made a last minute addition of
the Frye’s Measure Mill. Just a few
miles from Garwin, the mill provided a nice waterfall all framed with the
interesting architectural feature of a classic old mill. One of my group found
a perfect tableau, with a rustic shack, old barrel and a watering can
filled with greenery. All this with the mill and falls in the background.
It must have been arranged with photographers in mind.
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| Mill Tableau |
Purgatory Falls
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| Purgatory, Falls and Froath |
As always, Lower Purgatory Falls was
impressive, but I think we all agreed that the flow was actually a bit too
strong, drowning some of the interesting rocks. The Falls did provide an excellent backdrop for a soggy portrait of our group. After Purgatory I decided
to skip Tucker Brook Falls and instead lead the group to the isolated Senter
Falls. Tucker is a lovely falls, but I felt that the multiple falls and
steep cascade of Senter could provide more variety.
Senter Falls
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| Just Part of Senter Falls |
Senter Falls can be
challenging to find. It is distant from the other Hillsbough falls, the
trail head is along a narrow road and is not well marked. It seems I
always run by the entrance before I finally get back to find it. The
falls are only a short stroll from the road, before a climb up the steep trail
passes multiple interesting drops and cascades. We could have easily
spent the afternoon at this one rich location, but everyone was getting hungry
and several had other desperate bodily needs. We headed out for
Peterborough and a late lunch.
Harrisville and Monadnock
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| Harrisville Race |
After lunch at Twelve Pines we
worked our way home, stopping at Harrisville to shoot the brook cascading
through the beautifully preserved red brick mill structures. By this time
the sun was going in and out, providing opportunity to work on capturing wide
contrasts of light. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate my variable
Neutral Density filter. By this time everyone was ready for a break from
flowing water and this was happily provided by the Bernese Mountain Dog, that was
carefully watching all our activity. The
Route home took us to a ridge in 
Marlborough NH which features one of my
favorite grand views of Mount Monadnock. No major waterfalls in view, but
we had to stop for the vista.
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| Watchful Bernese |
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| View to Monadnock |
Miniwawa Brook and Gardens
We finished up with a stop in Keene for roaring
Miniwawa Brook, and lingered by some beautiful nearby gardens.
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| Miniwawa Surge |
Critique and Pizza
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Frye's Measure Mill
Lindsay Freese |
By the time everyone got back to my
house, we were tired but generally dry. We were excited to review our
images while supping on Pizza. There were many great shots, and some
opportunities for learning. On some I was able to demonstrate how a few
simple edits in Lightroom could bring out their full potential.
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Sunday
Catsbane Brook
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| Shooting Across the Catsbane |
Sunday was a half day, but still
filled with great opportunities. We started by touring some of the lesser known
falls and cascades along the Catsbane Brook as it flows through the little
village of West Chesterfield. Since we were in the area, I had to show my group
the eagles nest on its snag across the Connecticut River. One eagle was guarding
the nest. The other would eventually return, but we had a schedule to
keep and the group wanted to see Porcupine Falls in Gilsum.
Porcupine Falls
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| Porcupine Falls and Cascades |
Porcupine Falls is a lovely spot
that I had just recently discovered, and is the subject of a recent blog.
The falls shoot out of the rocks on a small cliff. It is not especially dramatic, but it does
feed an interesting series of cascades which flow into a lovely pool.
Swimming Hole? Above the pool is a
sturdy bridge, or at least it is sturdy enough to hold all my workshop. The
tenth guy on the bridge is talented photographer, Steve Hooper, who joined us
on Sunday. Porcupine Falls is part of the John and Rosemarie Calhoun Family
Forest and is now managed by the Monadnock Conservancy.
Forty Foot Falls
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| Swirls at Forty Foot |
A few of the group had to head home
after Porcupine Falls, but the remainder made one last stop at Forty Foot
Falls. This is one of my favorite local falls. It is next to Joslin
Road in Surry NH, but I am often told that it is difficult to find. By
this time my group knew exactly what to do and immediately scattered to find
their muses. I have photographed these grand cascades many times so on this
occasion, I was abandoned to concentrate on detail, include capturing the
swirling leaves in one of the many eddies.
Can’t Wait Until Next Year
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| Workshop at Porcupine Falls |
It was an exciting weekend and the
group reported that they enjoyed discovering the many local waterfalls and
learning more about there cameras. It was especially rewarding to spend
time with a group of people who are so excited to learn about the amazing
potential of digital photography. I can’t wait to see their favorite
images. I will be showing the best in a Spring Waterfall Workshop Gallery on my
website.
Now I can focus on a photography
workshop that I will be running for members of the Monadnock Conservancy and
then getting myself ready for my Introduction to Lightroom Course
starting on the 1st of June. I love sharing all this fantastic stuff!
