Normally a small trickle at this time of year, Nahunta Falls cascaded marvelously thanks to the ongoing melting of record winter and spring snowfalls upstream, on Mt. Rainier. The big mountain was rainy on this day, which helped waterfall photography a lot in several important ways. First, the rain softened and diffused the light more evenly beneath the dense forest cover, making dynamic range much smaller than a sun-and-shade setting. Overcast midday light also is ideal for waterfall shooting in that it allows long exposures at high f-stop, to bring out both the streaked-fall effect and optimal depth of field. The rain also wettened the rocks and vegetation, deepening their tones in a sort of natural saturation filter. The main photographic setback under such conditions is wind; fortunately there wasn’t any at this moment. With few others venturing out into the cool, wet conditions, we deeply enjoyed the peace and beauty of our moments here.
2 WSW Paradise WA (16 Jul 11) Looking NNW
46.7820, -121.7664Nahunta Falls in the Rain
Normally a small trickle at this time of year, Nahunta Falls cascaded marvelously thanks to the ongoing melting of record winter and spring snowfalls upstream, on Mt. Rainier. The big mountain was rainy on this day, which helped waterfall photography a lot in several important ways. First, the rain softened and diffused the light more evenly beneath the dense forest cover, making dynamic range much smaller than a sun-and-shade setting. Overcast midday light also is ideal for waterfall shooting in that it allows long exposures at high f-stop, to bring out both the streaked-fall effect and optimal depth of field. The rain also wettened the rocks and vegetation, deepening their tones in a sort of natural saturation filter. The main photographic setback under such conditions is wind; fortunately there wasn’t any at this moment. With few others venturing out into the cool, wet conditions, we deeply enjoyed the peace and beauty of our moments here.
2 WSW Paradise WA (16 Jul 11) Looking NNW
46.7820, -121.7664