Generic Waterfall Pic

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I guess this is just the usual waterfall shot, but of course, this one's mine! I would like to have got the entire 50-75ft drop of the falls, but with just a 28mm I couldn't get far enough away to avoid excessive tilting. Anyway, since I hadn't brought along a tripod, I just had to find the most conveniently placed boulder on which to set the camera for the longish exposure.

Portra 160VC (35mm). Exposure unrecorded, but looks like about 1-2sec at around f11 or so.

Nantahala National Forest. Christian Deichert, can you identify the location? I can't for the life of me remember the name of the falls -- just that it was near the Tennessee border and only a very short hike from the parking area.

This is a somewhat 'busy' image, and being a novice to Photoshop, I couldn't manage to compress it sufficiently without losing a good bit of detail, especially in the water.

-- Hal Mothershed (halmot@bellsouth.net), July 09, 2000

Answers

Well, Hal,I'd like to see more falls, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Actually, with the limits of lens and no tripod, I'm impressed that with the results. Great showing of "iron man" photography. :)

As for location: well, it depends on how far you were from the Tenn. border. I don't recognize 'em, so let me turn to my time-honored reference. My "Waterfall Walks and Drives in the Western Carolinas" by Mark Morrison shows a few in that area, but it depends on which road you were on - US 64? NC 165? a Forest Service road? There are a few falls in the area. Doesn't look like Fall Branch Falls (and its 1.3 mile hike isn't exactly next to the road). The Falls on Cold Branch, 30' high, are 0.3 miles from F.S. 81F (gravelled); that's a possibility. Let me know if I'm hot or cold.

-- Christian Deichert (torgophile@aol.com), July 09, 2000.


p.s. I got so carried away with "name that waterfall" that I forgot my additional comments. Love the clarity of the water that you were able to capture -- I feel like I could reach right into the water and pick up that broken rock. Also, nice composition with the rock shelf; it leads you up into the flowing water.

-- Christian Deichert (torgophile@aol.com), July 09, 2000.

Come to think of it, it may have been in Tennessee, which would make it in Cherokee NF. This was last summer and my memory is a bit fuzzy. To make things worse, I was following someone, so I didn't pay as much attention to where I was. I know that we turned left off of 64 near Ocoee Lake, then climbed a mountain ridge for some way before coming to a parking area. There was a picnic area and a small swimming lake, then a short (maybe 1-2 miles) path back to the falls. Apparently a well-travelled spot, if the amount of trash (yech!) was any indication. Thought you might recognize it by sight, as I notice you've spent some time photographing falls in the area.

Thanks for your comments, by the way. I don't deserve the "iron man" complement. The praise goes to the huge granite boulder that supported the camera. I estimate it was orders of magnitude heavier than the combined weight of all the Gitzo Mountaineers in the world!

-- Hal Mothershed (halmot@bellsouth.net), July 09, 2000.


That explains it; Morrison's got a whole separate book for Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. This sounds like Benton Falls, in Polk County, Tennessee. 1.65 miles to the falls, mostly on a roadbed (which initially skirts a small lake), then the last bit of the trail is narrow with a railing as you descend switchbacks and stone steps to get to the base of the 40' waterfall.

Haven't been there myself, although I have been to the nearby Falls on Rock Creek where I managed to submerge myself along with a new camera and motor drive in March 1999 - talk about a bad trip...

Anyway, Hal, if you enjoy waterfalls around GA, AL, TN, and the Carolinas, you need to spend the $20 to get Mark Morrison's two books. Definitely worth every penny. The link above gets you to his website, and I believe you can order 'em straight from him.

-- Christian Deichert (torgophile@aol.com), July 10, 2000.


Benton Falls! That's the one! I'll definitely check out Morrison's books. Thanks!

-- Hal Mothershed (halmot@bellsouth.net), July 10, 2000.


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