Through The Ferns
I've photographed Russell Falls many times, which creates its own kind of challenge - when you know a location well, it's very easy to return to the compositions you already know work. On this visit, I wanted to resist that and find a viewpoint I hadn't photographed before.
The problem was the ferns!
There were plenty of them between me and the waterfall. At first, I was trying to find a clear view through them, shifting position and looking for a gap that would give me an unobstructed photograph of the falls. Eventually I realised I was solving the wrong problem....
So, instead of trying to get rid of the ferns, I started looking for a composition that used them and that's when the image began to come together.
From this position, the layers of tree ferns frame different parts of the waterfall and reveal just enough of Russell Falls beyond. Rather than presenting the whole scene immediately, they create a feeling of looking through the forest and gradually discovering what's hidden behind it. That was much more interesting to me than another completely open view.
Of course, solving the compositional problem created a technical one.
At 90mm, some of the fern fronds were relatively close to the camera while the waterfall was much further away. At f/8, there simply wasn't enough depth of field to keep both acceptably sharp. Fortunately, the forest was unusually still.
I made two exposures using exactly the same camera settings. One was focused on the waterfall, the other on the foreground ferns.
Back home, I blended the two frames in Photoshop. In theory, focus blending sounds wonderfully straightforward.
Take two photographs. Combine the sharp areas. Finished. But.
Photoshop occasionally has other ideas.
Even with very little wind, the ferns had moved slightly between exposures. Focus breathing also meant the two frames weren't identical in scale, so some careful alignment and warping was needed before everything sat naturally together. Technically, that was probably the most complicated part of making the image.
But for me, the photograph isn't really about focus stacking. It's about finding another way to see a place I thought I already knew.
Russell Falls is instantly recognisable from its familiar viewpoints. Here, much of it is concealed by the forest.
You aren't simply shown the waterfall. You have to discover it, and that's exactly what I was looking for.
馃摲 Photography Notes
Photography Settings
- Focal Length: 90mm
- Aperture: f/8
- Shutter Speed: 0.5 sec
- ISO: 100
- Technique: Two-exposure focus blend
- Post-processing: Photoshop alignment, focus blending and selective warping
Tips & Techniques
Stop fighting the foreground
Branches, ferns and other vegetation don't automatically need to be removed from a composition. Sometimes they provide exactly the depth and framing the photograph needs.
Revisit familiar locations differently
If you've photographed somewhere many times, deliberately avoid your usual compositions. Change focal length, viewpoint or even what you consider to be the subject.
Know when to focus stack
When foreground elements are close to the camera and the main subject is much further away, a single exposure may not provide enough depth of field. Multiple focus points can solve the problem without resorting to extremely small apertures.
Watch for movement between frames
Focus stacking landscapes becomes much more difficult when foliage is moving. Work quickly between exposures and take advantage of periods of stillness.
Expect some work in post
Focus breathing and subject movement can prevent frames from aligning perfectly. Automatic blending can be a useful starting point, but sometimes careful manual adjustment is still needed.
What You Can Learn
One of the traps of photographing iconic locations is believing that the subject has already decided the photograph for you.
It hasn't. A familiar landscape can still produce something different if you stop concentrating on how it is normally photographed.
In this case, the very thing that initially seemed to be getting in the way became the most important part of the composition.
That's a useful lesson beyond Russell Falls.
Before moving a branch, changing position or deciding something is obstructing your photograph, ask whether it might actually be helping to tell the story.
Sometimes what you're trying to see around is exactly what you should be photographing through.
If you'd like to develop your landscape photography beyond simply finding the obvious viewpoint, I offer small-group photography workshops and personalised one-on-one photography lessons.
You'll learn how to work with foregrounds, natural framing, depth of field and techniques such as focus stacking, as well as how to recognise compositions that might not be immediately obvious.
Photography lessons can also include Lightroom and Photoshop, helping you understand not only how to capture more complex images in the field, but how to bring those exposures together naturally afterwards.
Related Posts
Forest Passage
Sometimes finding a new photograph at a familiar location is as simple as turning around. At Russell Falls, following the path against the usual flow revealed a different way to tell the story of this iconic Tasmanian waterfall.
Pre-Flight Checks
Early morning light, a quiet stretch of water, and an Egyptian Goose apparently making sure everything is in working order before beginning the day.