2018 Spring Waterfall Workshop

Big Drop, Garwin Falls, Wilton NH

                                                   

Garwin Falls Green

I had an exciting time last weekend presenting my Second Annual Spring Waterfall Workshop.  I enjoy nothing so much as getting together with a group of people who are enthusiastic to learn about digital photography while sharing some spectacular waterfall locations.  I promised my workshop participants that I would get them a list of all the places that we shot, and what better way to do that than to revisit them in a blog.

Harrisville Mill Pond

Meet and Greet

Linda Learning the Gear - Tucker brook Falls

As always, we started the workshop with a Friday evening gathering around my famous dining room table to get to know each other and discuss the plans for the next two days of shooting.  I presented a talk about photography in general, as well as the special challenges and opportunities that waterfalls provide.  Topics included the importance of a polarizing filter, the effect of shutter speed and, of course, safety precautions to protect both body and, more importantly, the precious equipment.  

Pond Brook Falls in Time

 Finally, we discussed the itinerary for the next two days and why it was important to get an early start.

Day One : Wilton New Hampshire

Our first day was spent mostly in and around Wilton New Hampshire.  The environs of Keene New Hampshire have some lovely waterfalls, but I have always felt that Wilton has the best concentration of dramatic falling water packed into a small area.  It was well worth the 45-minute drive from our meeting place in downtown Keene.  

Tucker Brook Falls

Tucker Brook Falls

We started at Tucker Brook Falls.  Tucker Brook is a peacefully ambling stream that almost unexpectedly drops into a dramatic falls.  It was a great place for my folks to experiment with their equipment and techniques.  I jumped from person to person trying to help with their individual issues, but as always it can be frustrating not being able to help everyone at once.  I spent most of my time looking over shoulders, but for each fall, I tried to take one or two shots of my own to demonstrate techniques and to give me something to show in the blog.  I have been to all of these falls many times, so for my images, I tried to find new angles.

Tucker Brook Drop

Lower Purgatory Falls

Purgatory Rocks

Lower Purgatory Falls is found at the end of a short hike along a flat trail.  We were rewarded by a vigorous flow down into the fall’s pool.  The falls provided interesting angles, combining the rocks, the pool and the brook.  I was excited to see how quickly my group applied what they had learned and scattered off to find their own opportunities. Everyone agreed that they could spend all day shooting this beautiful spot, but I promised that there was more, and better to come.

Garwin Falls

To me, Garwin Falls is the most spectacular collection of cascades and falls in the Wilton area.  Last year, I made the mistake of beginning our tour at Garwin, making everything that followed slightly anticlimactic.  This time, I found that by visiting a couple of other waterfalls first everyone had a chance to become comfortable with their equipment and technique and were better prepared to appreciate and capture the drama of Garwin’s falling waters.

Lunch and Frye’s Measure Mill Falls

Much Gear!

During previous workshops I had learned the importance of not starving the class, so we took a much-needed break for lunch at Shaka’s Bar And Grill.  The nice folks were happy to accommodate our damp and swarthy gaggle of camera geeks.  Our table was packed with gear leaving little room for food and drawing bemused glances from the boys at the bar.  

Frye's Measure Mill Falls

After lunch, we headed to Frye’s Measure Mill in Wilton to enjoy the classic mill falls as well as the well stock shaker box shop.  These beautifully crafted boxes continue to be made by just a few master box makers on site in mill.  

We had been threatened by rain all day and I had my group prepared for possible downpours, but we had only felt occasional drops.  It was at the mill that we experienced our first and only significant, but still gentle, showers.

Harrisville Mill 

Factory Brick - Harrisville NH

We finished our first day with a visit to Harrisville New Hampshire, a carefully preserved example of a small New England manufacturing village. The town does not have and major falls, but water tumbles through it, cascading from the mill pond, under and past brick factory buildings, toward Skatutakee Lake. 

It was a long first day of shooting, but remarkably my group was excited to return to my home for pizza and a chance to review everyone’s shots. I think everyone was exhausted, but happy, and remarkably, they stayed on till about ten PM reviewing pictures, chatting about photography and planning the next day’s adventure.

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 Sunday Morning

 Our second day focused on waterfalls closer to home.  Our first day was a bit damp, but offered overcast skys, perfect for dramatic waterfall photography.  Sunday started foggy but quickly turned warm and sunny – beautiful, but a much greater challenge for waterfall shooting.  

Chesterfield Gorge

John and Rich - Chesterfield Gorge

We started at Chesterfield Gorge in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.  The deep gorge blocked the early morning sun making it easier to capture the flowing cascades and falls. I tried to give everyone a shot at the big waterfall in the gorge before the dappled sunlight crept in to complicate the process.

Chesterfield Gorge Slide

 

Pond Brook Falls Shooting

Pond Brook Falls

Pond Brook Falls flows into the Catsbane Brook in West Chesterfield and forms one of my favorites little waterfalls. The falls faces west and therefore is partially shielded from the morning sun. 

Catsbane Brook

Tutelage by the Catsbane 

The Catsbane Brook runs through West Chesterfield over several cascades and old mill falls.  Many are difficult to reach, but one convenient view comes from a bridge which crosses the brook close to where it flattens out to join the Connecticut River. The view at this spot is topped by a picturesque barn which overhangs the embankment.

Forty Foot Falls

Rich and Joyce at 40 Foot Falls

Our final stop was Forty Foot Falls in Surry New Hampshire.  This combination of cascades and powerful falls, is easy to reach, located only a few yards off the road, but it is less well known. By the time we reached the falls it was closing in on a sunny midday, and the light was more difficult.  I did get a chance to grab a picture of workshop members Joyce and Rich.  They represent a very rare pair.  A married couple, both of whom love photography, and even own the same camera, two Canons of course.  They recognized that it would be tragic for their relationship if they had a Canon and a Nikon.

It is always amazing how quickly these workshop weekends pass.  On Saturday we spent about 12 hours shooting, and another three hours discussing our shots and eating pizza.  Sunday was another four hours of waterfall photography before everyone dragged themselves home.  We managed to visit nine major waterfalls of all types and in a variety of conditions.

Garwin Falls - My Favorite Cascade

Everyone seemed to have a great time and I was amazed by their enthusiasm and remarkable energy.  Many of the group expressed a desire to come back for future classes and workshops and I would love to see them again.

 Next week I will be announcing my up-coming programs including my next Introduction to Digital Photography Class, my Fall Foliage Workshop and Introduction to Lightroom Course.  Stay tuned!

Jeffrey Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

603-363-8338

A Photography Marathon

Clarence DeMar Marathon : A Project

I think my neighbors in the Monadnock Region have come to understand something about me.  I love photographic projects and am easily hooked (i.e. Suckered) when the cause is worthwhile. 

So let me tell you about the DeMar Marathon.

The Clarence DeMar Marathon is an autumn tradition in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire.  Clarence DeMar won his

Clarence DeMar Running Boston

first Boston Marathon at the age of 23 in 1911.  Just before the race his doctor told him that a heart murmur suggested cardiac problems and that if he insisted on running he should drop out at the first sign of problems.  He won the race, and his doctor died of a heart attack two years after issuing his apocalyptic warning.  Clarence was never inclined to drop out of anything and over the subsequent years he won a total of 7 Boston Marathons, a record which still stands.  His last victory was in 1930, when he was 40 years of age, and he became the race's oldest winner, another long standing record.  

DeMar had a long connection to Keene New Hampshire.  He taught Industrial History and Printing at Keene Normal School, which is now Keene State College, and he coached the schools track team.  He remained an avid runner throughout his life, completing his last Marathon at age 65 and finishing 14th in a 15K race at the age of 69, shortly before his death in 1958.  

DeMar was quoted as saying,
 “I sometimes feel that the whole world is divided into those who pay attention and accomplish things and those who distract attention and are infernal nuisances. The runners are paying attention and the rest of the world is mostly trying to distract them.”

Route 12a, Surry

The Demar Marathon has been held for the last 38 years and nobly continues the tradition of dedication and joy that was personified by its namesake.   Today, the Demar has grown to be a community event with a broad range of activities to engage runners of every age and ability.  In addition to the full, world class, 26.2 mile course, there is a half marathon, and a Senior Marathon.  To encourage an early appreciation of the importance of fitness, beginning in 2013,

Ashuelot River Surry

the event has also included a Kid's Marathon.  Children from Kindergarten to fifth grade log 25 miles of running and walking in the spring and summer before the race. Those who achieve this goal earn the chance to run the last 1.2 miles of the DeMar Marathon on race day.  The sight of Hundreds of children triumphantly crossing the finish line has become one of the favorite attractions of the day. 

Kids Marathon

Unmatched Beauty 

Ashuelot Gorge

 

The course is arguably the most beautiful in the Northeast and perhaps the country and this year I was asked by the Marathon organizers to capture images of the route.  As many of you know, I love to be given a project.  There is nothing like a challenge to get the creative juices flowing.  I love what the Keene Elm City Rotary and all of their supporters have done to make the DeMar a region defining event and I was thrilled to help.  I'm on the job.

My first goal was to define the route.  I have many shots from the general region, but I wanted to include only images that would reflect what the runners would actually see along their run.  There was plenty with which to work.  I downloaded a copy of the route map and turn-by-turn directions from the Marathon's official web site.  The map looked complicated especially as it threaded through the back roads of Keene, but the majority of the course runs along beautiful country roads with long straight stretches from its beginning in Gilsum and through Surry. It becomes a bit more complicated as the route weaves through Keene, but it is still a beautifully peaceful run.  I decided to take an afternoon to follow the entire route, by car of course.  

This year, the race will be run on September 25^th and should be blessed with the rich colors of our early autumn foliage.  On my tour of the route last week, I enjoyed the emerging spring greens. The starting line is in the village of Gilsum next to the Historical Society building and just above the Gilsum General Store, which is a classic small New England country store.  I took the opportunity to say hello to the owner who has always generously sold my New England Reflections Calendars. 



 


A short distance from Gilsum Village the route takes a sharp right onto NH Route 10 South and then, just as quickly, another right across the dramatic Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge across the Ashuelot River to Surry Road.  The bridge was finished in 1863 and, at more than 36 Feet above the river, is the tallest dry-laid bridge in New Hampshire.  Dry laid bridges are constructed without and mortar and maintain their structure solely through the precise fitting of their stones.

 

Surry Road, Ashuelot River, Gilsum

 

Surry Road follows the Ashuelot River through rural country-side and as is often true of roads in New Hampshire it inexplicably changes into Gilsum Road. The road stays close to the river for much of this stretch with small brooks joining the Ashuelot at intervals along the way.  It is a beautiful route and a personal favorite for pastoral New England photography in all seasons.

Spring Foliage on the Ashuelot, Surry Road, Gilsum

Surry Dam Road, Surry

 

At the intersection with Route 12a the course takes a sharp left turn and then follows 12a into Surry.  Attractions along the way south to Keene include a stretch down and back along the top of the Surry Dam with dramatic long views, a run next to the beautiful Brentwood Golf Course and a glimpse of Keene’s Stone Arch Bridge as it across the Ashuelot.

 

Within Keene the route becomes substantially more convoluted as it weaves through quiet residential neighborhoods, parks and a lovely rolling cemetery.  It all comes to a classic ending as the runners sprint down Keene State College’s tree-lined Appian Way. 

The Appian Way

Along Brentwood Golf Course

I had a great first drive along the route and I will return to catch the growing beauty of the course as its foliage matures into summer greens.  You can check out the images as I collect them in my DeMar MarathonGallery on my web site. 

You are invited to come in September to run in one of the marathons or just enjoy all the beauty and excitement of this special event.  Both runners and spectators have raved about the beauty of the course, the organization of the event, and above all, the friendliness of the army of volunteers.

North Cemetery Wall, Keene NH

Thanks to the Marathon Web Site for Information and images:

http://clarencedemar.com

Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com

Capturing The Depths of Autumn

  
Trapped by the Foliage Tour


Last weekend I participated in the Monadnock regions Fall Foliage Art Studio Tour. During Saturday and Sunday I hosted visitors to my home in Spofford and displayed over 30 of my pictures spread through the downstairs. It was gratifying to show-off my work to an appreciative crowd. I especially enjoyed meeting several Facebook fans, but the weather was perfect and the color nearing peak, and as a photographer I was jumping out of my skin to get out and shoot the amazing foliage. At 5pm each day, I catapulted out of the door to catch the last glimmers of evening light, but the last few minutes of the golden hour were scant compensation for missing most of what may be two of the best shooting days of the year.

But enough grumbling. Showing the work is an essential part of the deal, arguably as important as shooting the work.   Happily, on Monday, the colors were still building, the air was crisp and clear and I got out several times to grab the season's bounty.


 

 One Day of Autumn Glory

Surry Pasture

 

This article is a chance to share the images from just one day of shouting in our most spectacular time of year.  Monday was generally sunny, which provided its own challenges of shadows and reflections, but the colors showed to perfection especially when trans-illuminated and my polarizing filtered helped the rich hues shine through the reflected sunlight. I got some nice shots, and, in the process, I was reminded about how my shooting technique has evolved in recent time. Specifically how I have been expanding focus stacking to capture extreme depth of field.

Barn at the Bend

 Capturing Depth of Field

Md. Sherri Pond

As a landscape photographer, I often work to include sharply focused foreground elements into my grand vistas. In the past I have discussed using focus stacking to achieve a wide depth of field that would never be possible with a single image. In my early efforts, I routinely captured three images, one each focused on the foreground, middle ground and background and then combined the three using

Slipping Arches, Md. Sherri Castle

manually painted masks. This works well for simple images with a smooth gradient of focus from foreground to background, but it falls apart with more complicated images. The Auto-Blend tool in Photoshop does an amazing job on many of these images but some clean-up is usually required to remove areas of mismatch. Recently I've been impressed with the enhanced quality of the result of blending especially when the number of variably focused layers is increased.  
 

Bradley Hill Autumn

The opportunities provided by Auto-Blending have led me to routinely bracket the focus on most of my images.  On this one day of autumn shooting I returned with 240 images. Reviewing the collection I found that with all these images I captured only 45 different scenes, meaning that I took an average of just over five pictures per scene. This was almost entirely due to focus stacking.

 





 


Focus Stacking Gone Wild

Blended & Correction Layers

As an extreme example, in the picture of the ferns along Gulf Brook, I blended seven images to get sharpness from foreground to background. I used my usual technique. I edited the images together in Lightroom and then used the "Open as layers in Photoshop" option to bring them into a single file. After aligning the layers I copied them into a separate stack that I could use to correct errors in the blended result. I then ran the original stack through Photoshop's magic Auto-Blend tool. The more recent versions of Photshop finish

DOF

the blending process by creating a layer which merges the effects of all the selective focus masks. With the merged layer in hand, I can be discard the stack of blended layers leaving the copied, unblended stack for corrections. The final step was to carefully review the image for mistakes and use the layer copies to correct any problems. By increasing the number of layers I have found that the merged results are more accurate and require much fewer corrections. The whole process is surprisingly quick and makes impossible broad depth of field a reality. 





 

 
Monday was a great start on this year's local foliage season. There is no better time to revel in the glorious depth of color of New England. The images are piling up on my hard drives and I have lots of work to do. Thank goodness I have November coming on to allow me to catch up.










Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com

First Falls




The Roaring Catsbane

Chesterfield Gorge Spring

We are now firmly in our second "stick" season. The air is warming but the trees are showing only the swelling buds that promise the glory to come. Like in November after the leaf drop, we are in the middle of a few weeks of tough sledding for New England photography. Sadly, our spring stick season has the added disadvantage of being the mud season as well, but given the generous spring run-off, it has the major advantage of being one of the best times to enjoy and shoot our regional waterfalls. 

The waterfalls are the primary savior of this time of year. I've been out shooting some of my local favorites and I'm reminded of the benefits and challenges of capturing the flowing water in the early spring.

The Benefits

Spofford Cascade

The obvious advantage of shooting spring waterfalls is the generous flow of the spring run-off. At no other time of the year is the strength of the cascading water as predictably powerful. New England is full of small brooks which, for much of the year display only a trickle or go completely dry, but in the spring these reluctant streams burst into life. In my home village of Spofford New Hampshire there is a tiny nameless rivulet which generally has an unimpressive flow as it drains down a steep set of cliffs from the main road above. I regularly check the status of the stream as I drive by on my way into the village, and predictably, it has blossomed this spring into a lovely cascade. The brook is difficult to approach with the usual steep banks, slick rocks and damp leaves, but with permission from the owner, I was able to find a few stable places to grabbed my shots.

Catsbane Brook Falls, West Chesterfield, NH

A little later I will moan about the lack of colorful foliage to decorate our falls, but an advantage of the bare branches is that waterfalls are less obstructed, becoming more completely visible. The trails are also easier to find in the spring with a great expansion of the range of sight through the forest. It is for this reason that we on the Chesterfield Conservation Commission often use the early spring and the late fall to survey and set out new trails.

Awaiting the Light on Merriam Brook

Ok, a couple of days ago I crushed my first Black Fly of the season. Within a week or so the miserable plague will be fully upon us, but for a few weeks in the early spring we able able to clomp through the underbrush without constant attack. It is a great joy to settle by an isolated forest brook and enjoy the freshness without the pure air being poisoned by the DEET saturated fumes from my bug repellent. On a recent visit to Merriam Brook in Surry New Hampshire, I explored downstream from the more familiar Forty Foot Falls and, with the increased flow, I found some lovely cascades. Unfortunately the sky was bright, bathing the falls with highly contrasting dappled light. Fortunately, without the clouds of bugs, I was comfortable waiting the couple of hours that it took for the sun to drop behind the trees. I was rewarded with soft even lighting to capture the flow, and during the wait I was able to plan my shots and also write part of this blog.


The Challenges

Green Around Pond Brook Falls

For me the biggest difficulty of shooting waterfalls in the early spring is dealing with the drab, grey and uninteresting backgrounds. This time of year the dramatic, roaring falls are surrounded by bare trees and skeletal bushes. Even the brave little ferns are only beginning to pop their delicate heads from the soil. A few sharply outlined branches can add an effective bit of contrast against the soft path of a flowing cascade, but in general I focus on tightly framing my images, including as little of the bare surroundings as possible. Occasionally I'm able to find a waterfall nestle among evergreens to provided some desperately needed color, but, in general, the attention needs to be directed to the water.

Mist Fed Moss, Merriam Brook, Surry NH

Access

Hubbard Falls Steep Bank

The other major challenge of early spring waterfalls is the difficulty of access. The combination of the last of the winter's snow and ice and the mud slicked leaves can make approaching the falls a potentially disastrous adventure. Hubbard Falls in Chesterfield features two dramatic drops, but both are are nestled at the bottom of steep gorges.  The key is to take things very slowly and to plan ahead. Whenever possible, I avoid steep slopes and slick rocks. I carefully pack away my equipment and, with one or two sturdy walking sticks, I pick my way one step at a time. I don't pull out my camera and tripod until I am on reliably stable ground.

Hubbard Gorge, Chesterfield NH

I previously discussed the special importance of protecting the equipment when photographing near water, where one misstep could send your expensive gear tumbling down stream. I always recall previous disasters and keep my camera strap safely around my neck, even when the camera is attached to the tripod.

Ashuelot Dam Falls,  Keene NH

Pulpit Falls

Pulpit Falls in HDR

Early this week I had the chance to guide my friend Steve Hooper to beautiful Pulpit Falls in Winchester New Hampshire. The weather was not ideal with bright sunlight bathing the gorge with excessive contrast, but the strong flow showed the falls at its dramatic best. A little HDR helped with the light, but as Steve explored near the falls, I climbed up the cliffs around the gorge looking for a new and loftier perspective. My adrenalin surged as I picked my way carefully along the barest hint of a trail which only intermittently cut into the steep bank. I finally found an opening in the trees and managed a nicely

Pulpit Falls from Above

elevated view of the falls that was only partially obstructed. I could have grabbed a cleaner view by sliding further down the steep bank, but with nothing separating me from the precipitous cliff and sure oblivion except a few damp leaves and pine needles, I decided that I would would concentrate on the task of finding my way back to the "trail". Waterfall photography in the early spring often means taking what you can reasonable get and living to shoot another day.




Arch Over Spofford Lake

The wonderful thing about photography in New England is that

Campus Crocuses

despite the variable conditions of our seasons and the constantly changing weather, there is always something interesting and beautiful to shoot. I am a sucker for the languid lacy beauty of failing water when captured with long exposures, but regardless of the season, the secret is to get out there and celebrate whatever nature chooses to provide.  After all early spring is also the beginning of Milky Way season and brave little crocuses are already bursting though the cold soil.






Jeffrey Newcomer
partridgebrookreflections.com