Thundering Brook: Capturing Stunning Waterfalls

The sun is shining once more and temperatures are on the rise, which makes me eager to get outdoors for some photography! In June, I will be attending a night sky photography workshop in Vermont, which makes me look back a couple of years. In 2023, I was in the same area, shortly after a significant amount of flooding, which had a disastrous impact on everyone. When I arrived, the town of Woodstock had just reopened, but tap water was not yet safe to drink, which was just a minor inconvenience given the amount of destruction.

All this water did have one positive…

In the middle of July, I don’t expect to see this much water coming down a stream. It did make for some great photo opportunities allowing for some technical exploration using different filters.

For this particular shot I used a setup with a Cokin’s NX filter system; this allows for stacking of multiple filters, so both ND and graduated ND filters can be used. To get this ribbon effect, I stepped down to a 4 second shutter speed.

Let’s hope for some more great shots in Vermont this time around, but without the flooding, as nobody wants to experience that again.

Author: jansenphoto

A Fresh Perspective Photography is more than just a vehicle for capturing the world around me; it provides me with a palette and a set of brushes, with which I paint not only what I see, but also look to express the emotions that are evoked by the scene in front of me in that moment. Growing up in the Netherlands exposed me to a wide cross-section of visual arts that laid the foundation of my photographic view of all that surrounds me. Early influences were the Dutch Masters of the 17th century, to whom I was introduced by my grandfather during museum explorations; favorites among them are the scenes of quotidian life depicted by Jan Steen and Frans Hals and the vivid landscapes of Jacob van Ruisdael. My classical high school education was supplemented by the Boijmans Van Beuningen museum, where I spent many a lunch hour exploring its great collection. Here I was introduced to surrealism with a particular love for the approach taken by Salvador Dali; Dali also rekindled my appreciation for the work of Hieronymus Bosch, who often showed the folly of us mortals. Universal Connections My approach to any photographic subject is to look for understanding first; in this I look to establish either a connection between the viewer and the subject or capture the connection of the subject with its surroundings. The captured image then aims to portray this connection from a perspective that is part of my personal interpretation. This interpretation is often a form of externalized introspection, which may alternately display the connection of isolated beings and items with their environment or highlight the whimsy of the profound world, in which we find ourselves. The universe is full of connections, many of which are waiting to be discovered; part of my journey as a photographer is to document these connections. Any assignment, be it an event, a product shoot or a portrait session is always approached through communication with the client; this is where the first connection is established. Ideas are exchanged and a collaborative plan of action forms, ultimately resulting in a set of images that aim to exceed the expectations of each client. And, lest we forget, it is important to have fun while practicing the serious business of photography! View all posts by jansenphoto