Location: Upper Falls Graveyard Fields
Divine Intervention
As I was hiking the mile and a half trail leading to the Upper Falls at Graveyard Fields in North Carolina this past weekend, I kept thinking to myself how nice it would be if I could get a shot of the falls with a nice blue sky showing above them. I wasn’t holding out much hope, since I hadn’t glimpsed blue in the sky all weekend. I finally arrived down below the base of the falls, set up my camera on the tripod, and patiently waited for a handful of people lingering in the shot to be on their way. After a few minutes, the hikers headed back down the trail, leaving me alone with the falls. Just as I settled in behind the lens, lo and behold, the clouds parted, giving way to a beautiful blue sky. I fired off as many shots at as many different exposures as I could before the clouds moved back in, never to leave again. I do believe someone upstairs was lending me a helping hand.
Camera: Nikon D-90
Lens: NIKKOR 10–24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
Focal Length: 10mm
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/2
Aperture: F/19
Filters: circular polarizer and neutral density
Exposure: Manual
How I Got This Shot: I set the camera on a tripod with a portrait composition, just downstream from the falls a ways so I could include some of the foreground boulders in the shot as well as the sky. I was very lucky to catch some blue sky after I set up, as it only lasted for a moment and was never seen the rest of the day. I only exposed at a half second so I could catch some detail in the waterfall without it becoming just a blur of white.
For More Information
- Additional photographs by Jeff Burcher Photography
- Categories where this photo is found: Waterfalls