Frozen in Time

 Winter strips the landscape of a lot of noise.  The inner form of trees is simplified absent the leaves.  Waterfalls become clearer with the trees bare.  The precipices are covered with ice, and sometimes the flow of water is nearly stopped.  Early in my discovery of waterfall photography, I was directed to this hidden falls in Lansing (New York).  It was part of a family's backyard.

I even returned at night to make extremely long exposures and painted the ice with colored lights. 

The little falls had no name and likely was never seen in a postcard. Big falls are often seen on postcards and imitated by newbies.  I did that at Niagara Falls in 2013.  The falls are illuminated every evening.  Many capture just what was seen on the postcard.  There is also much more to see when exploring more closely.  

Seen below is a small portion of the American Falls that was created in the late morning when the sun created a rainbow.  Now, the sun moves pretty quickly across the sky so the rainbow is not static either.  Keeping the rainbow on that ice-capped rock keeps the photographer shooting, and quickly moving the tripod while not bumping into other people next to the railing.

This image of the American Falls was much more memorable in part, because it is not found on a postcard and will not be repeated exactly like this. 

Here in the Finger Lakes, the iconic falls is arguably Taughannock.  At 215 feet of straight drop, it is higher than Niagara and easily approached to the lower level, even more so in winter.  It's my favorite, especially when ice covered.  On this morning, there was a strong flow contributing to widespread ice well away from the drop.  It was also extremely cold; my fingers were nearly numb even with glove liners plus mittens.  (It was worth the walk up the gorge to hear and feel the giant in winter.)

There is, however, much more to portraying the mix of solid and liquid found in such a scene.  This is an ever-changing sculpture of  hard ice and liquid water.  This is an instant in time that will never be recreated. 

The photographer has the choice of shutter speed that creates an interpretation that can be faster or slower than how our brain processes time.  Seems fascinating to consider.

There are other winter scenes to explore. At the base of Ithaca Falls, there are ice formations found away from the falls.  They are the result of wind blowing the water spray, and also the rise and fall of the flows.  As the day warms, the flow increases and the ice creeps higher.   This image presents two levels - Ithaca Falls and the crooked willow on the edge.   That seems more interesting.

I think it wise to begin with a local favorite and conclude with an exotic favorite - Gibbon Falls in Yellowstone in early February 2020.  The river is not frozen because of thermal springs feeding the river.   One of the attractions for this location is the beautiful circular path presented to the viewer's eyes. 

A week later after making this image, we were all learning about a global pandemic and foregoing travel. So, that makes it a little more memorable.

I hope you find this enjoyable.

Paul Schmitt