waterfall

Beaver Brook Falls, New Hampshire by Todd Henson

Beaver Brook Falls, New Hampshire

My father and I were fortunate to visit Beaver Brook Falls State Wayside in Colebrook, New Hampshire, on a somewhat overcast and rainy day. All the recent rain resulted in a lot of water going over the approximately 80-foot Beaver Brook Falls. Granted, it also meant the water was perhaps a bit more brown than it usually would be because of the strong runoff. But it also resulted in more saturated greens from the wet leaves. It was a bit breezy so there was some movement of the leaves and flowers.

Beaver Brook Falls merging into North Fork Beaver Brook

The falls are on Beaver Brook and just below the falls the brook merges with North Fork Beaver Brook seen at the bottom of the photos flowing left to right. The water eventually flows into the Connecticut River in the town of Colebrook. The Connecticut River defines much of the border between New Hampshire and Vermont.

Floral accents at Beaver Brook Falls

One of the best things about this location is its accessibility. It’s located along Route 145 north of Colebrook with the parking area right along the road and the falls easily visible from the road. There is a small area of mowed grass with some picnic tables and wooden fencing between this area and the water. There are trails on both sides that lead over wooden walking bridges and take you to the falls.

Beaver Brook Falls State Wayside, New Hampshire

Signage at Beaver Brook Falls State Wayside, New Hampshire

I’ve only been to this location once so I don’t have a feel for how crowded it can get, but given how beautiful it is, how easily accessible, and how many folks travel to this area for vacationing and outdoor adventure, I’d guess it can get crowded. The parking area is very small so it can only accommodate so many people. We saw several cars of people arrive and leave while we were there but for some periods of time had the area to ourselves. The rainy day likely helped with this. This is certainly a location I’d visit again if ever back in the area. And I can only imagine how beautiful (and busy) it might be during autumn with all the colorful foliage New Hampshire is known for. 

Photographic Lessons Learned

As is often the case when reviewing my photographs I find things I would have done differently if I had the gift of hindsight in advance. And I find items I’m glad I thought to do. Here is a short list of lessons learned (or re-learned in most cases), as well as general comments based on my experience:

  • On rainy days, and when approaching strong waterfalls, don’t forget to check the front element of your lens or filter for water droplets, and carefully wipe them off when you find them. Do this OFTEN. It’s so easy to overlook these while looking at a small image on a viewfinder or LCD panel, but they become far more obvious when viewed on a larger screen or on paper, especially if you are using smaller apertures (larger f-stop numbers).

  • Even if you’re able to get slower shutter speeds just by adjusting your aperture (because it’s a darker day) it’s still worth the effort of trying a polarizing filter because it can reduce glare and reflections on both the water surface and that of the green leaves.

  • When it’s windy try to keep track of when the breeze is blowing and when there are short gaps with less wind. This can help you create images with less movement of leaves, flowers, etc.

  • I don’t recall which photographer I learned this lesson from but it’s a gem. When is the best time to make a vertical image? Immediately after making a horizontal one. That way you have both a vertical and horizontal view of that scene and can choose which you prefer for which usage.

  • If possible it can be worth it to create some images that include slightly more of the scene so you don’t crowd in too much around the edges. Granted, this isn’t always possible. There are images here where I’d have liked to include a little more of the trees above the falls, though without including the washed out white sky. But even at the widest focal length my lens was capable of, 16 mm, I was constrained by what I included at top and/or bottom. I’d have loved to have owned a wider angle lens for this scene. I sort of wish I’d thought to try my fisheye, see how that worked. Granted, it would have been more difficult to shield it from any rain because of the extreme curvature of the outer glass.

  • Don’t forget when using a tripod with a locked down head you should almost always assure you’ve turned off any vibration reduction or image stabilization feature in your lens. There may be cases with newer cameras/lenses where this isn’t necessary, but it often is as the VR/IS features can sometimes actually introduce vibration when on a locked down camera. Read your camera/lens manuals to better understand the capabilities and limitations of your own gear.

  • Don’t forget to create images of the wider scene to show more context of the location.

  • Don’t forget to zoom in and create some detail images to show the depth and variety of the location.

Can you think of any other lessons worth learning from this sort of experience? Have you ever visited Beaver Brook Falls in New Hampshire? Do you have any similar falls in your area? Leave a comment below and let me know.


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Quantico Cascades by Todd Henson

Lower Quantico Cascades

When the trail map calls out waterfalls you know that stretch of trail will become popular, at least during the warmer months. But it’s sometimes possible to visit in relative peace when it’s colder out or the weather isn’t so nice. These photos were created in early February when there was still a very noticeable chill in the air, though not cold enough to freeze any of the water.

This section of creek has two small groups of cascades where the water flows over rock shelves. It’s a beautiful and relaxing location when not crowded. You can walk out onto some of the rock shelves if the water level isn’t too high and just sit and watch and listen as the water flows by.

The image at the top of this post is the downstream section of cascades. There’s a large tree at a bend in the creek, visible on the left side of the photo. I climbed down to the waters edge, being careful with my footing as many sections of the creek floor were covered in slippery green growth. But I wasn’t quite careful enough. I’d stepped into the creek at one point and when I walked back onto a flat section of dry rock my wet boots either had picked up something slick from the water or the dry stone became slick when wet. I slipped and fell straight onto my back, camera and tripod in hand, held up high trying not to let them crash onto the rock or water. I felt a little guilty about this as I was hiking with my father and when he saw me go down he rushed over to be sure I was ok. I was, though I did end up with a sore bruise on my back for a couple days.

It was after the fall I walked up close to the tree and found the composition you see above. At first I tried composing without the tree, but I ended up liking the interesting shape of it even though you can only see a small section.

Just a little ways upstream is the first set of cascades, interestingly also with a tree right at the edge, though not as large or curiously shaped. But this one had a nice bit of green moss growing about its base which I really liked. I’m curious to return later in the year and see how this develops.

For this cascade I decided to try another experiment with the polarizing filter. I created one image with lots of reflections and one with the filter eliminating almost all reflections. Then I combined the two, keeping some reflections in some sections and eliminating them from others.

Upper Quantico Cascades (lots of reflections)

Upper Quantico Cascades (minimal reflections)

Upper Quantico Cascades (merged exposures)

What drew to me to conduct the polarizer experiment were the reflections close to the tree. There was a somewhat bright spot, which then faded to a wide line with no reflection, as the tree blocked the light from the sun. That seemed a little off to me. But I did like the bit of reflection between the mossy land and the water just below. I also liked the shapes the reflections created a little further in. So I created the two versions knowing I could combine them in software when I got home.

Click the image below to cycle through each version for comparison:

Let me know which of these versions you prefer in the comments below.


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Sketches Along the Creek by Todd Henson

A photographic sketch along the creek, exploring possibilities

Sometimes I find a new location and think it has some real photographic potential so I’ll look over the scene, consider angles and compositions, and begin making images. Of course I hope one of those images will end up being a winner, but I know that often they’ll just be sketch images helping me get a feel for the location. It can take many trips before I create an image I really like, one I can’t wait to show.

When I create these sketch images I’m trying to craft something great, so I do focus in on what I think might be a final image. But I also try to remember to zoom back out a bit, either with a zoom lens or with my feet, so I can capture some images of the larger scene. This can be immensely useful for planning out potential future shoots when I return to the location. I might have missed an angle in person that I notice in one of the photos. So next time I return I’ll have more of a plan than on the first trip.

These two photos are examples of sketch images from my first visit to this little patch of waterfalls. We noticed the falls from way up top of the hill and saw a small footbridge across the creek just down from the falls. I walked all the way around the scene, hiking upstream just a bit and crossing the creek where it was shallow (not sure why I didn’t just cross at the bridge on the opposite end).

The upper group of falls seemed more interesting to me with the current water levels. And it was an interesting little pool the water emptied into before going over more rocks just below. I found an angle I thought might work and climbed down the small leaf-covered incline and setup the tripod on a grouping of rocks at the edge of the pool. For the first shot I wanted to capture that pool and the upper falls. I needed to zoom out as far as the lens could, to 16mm. And I used a polarizing filter to control reflections and to add some saturation. I found the fallen log on the lower-right corner a bit annoying at first and tried to block it out, but then decided to use it to frame in the pool. I’m reasonably happy with this shot. I feel like there’s more there, but I’ll have to return to look for it.

Stepping back I captured a wider view of the scene

After I created several versions of the tighter image I climbed back up and stepped back so I could capture the entirety of the sequence of waterfalls. You can see the small incline covered in leaves on the lower right where I slid down to the rock at the edge of the pool. Capturing this wider view let me record a little more of the scene which might help me find other places to stand, especially at times when the water level is higher. It’ll also be interesting to see how much of the debris stays put and how much gets swept away.

Ever since creating these images I’ve felt the pull to return to this location and further explore it. Perhaps the next trip will result in more sketch images. Or perhaps I’ll manage to create something I feel a little more strongly about. Only time will tell, but I can’t wait to find out.


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