Last Saturday, the 22nd I took a trip down to the Faery Falls and the ruins of Ney Springs resort. This waterfall and ruins are on the way to Castle Lake which I also had on the to do list for the day. If there was time, and there was, to hike up to Heart Lake above Castle Lake. These pictures will be in a separate post though.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/11, 8.0 sec, ND Filter
I played with many different exposure lengths, apertures and ND densities trying to get a good exposure. One thing that made this shot difficult was the waterfall was not directly lit, but the rock off to the left were brightly lit. I had to settle for an exposure that over exposed the left rocks, but didn’t blow them out. This combined with a slightly under exposed waterfall. I then used gradient filters in Lightroom to burn (darken), and dodge (lighten) the images to get an even exposure.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/8.0, 4.0 sec, ND Filter
As I stood taking photographs of the falls I was looking for angles that would make a unique photograph of Faery Falls. I knew that 95% of the photographs were taken from a similar position that I was set up in. So I walked around the base of the falls and found this shot that I like very much.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/11, 3.0 sec, ND Filter
In 1887 Ney Springs were discovered by John Ney. The springs have a very high ph of 11.6 and a silica content of 4000 parts per million. These values are the highest known to exist in natural ground water. Because of these mineral springs John Ney created a resort lodge there for tourists. The ruins around one of the remaining walls has the date of 1889 etched on it.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/6.3, 0.6 sec
The ruins were in the shadows under the trees and I was very glad I had my tripod with me. With my tripod, I was able to use the base ISO of 100 and a long exposure to accentuate the great colors under the canopy.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/11, 3.0 sec
ISO 1250, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/30 sec
As you can tell from the ISO value of the above picture I got lazy and didn’t get out my tripod! So I raised the ISO to a level that I could hand hold the shots. The whole area smells of sulfur from the mineral springs. I put my hand in the water from this bath and it was very pungent! The water wasn’t cold like the creek next to it, but it wasn’t very warm either.
ISO 1250, 52mm, f/4.0, 1/15 sec
The bubbles coming up from bottom of the pool were great. I’m not sure what the phenomenon is that causes them. If anyone knows why please let us know in the comments below.
This relatively easy hike to the falls and ruins is well worth your time if you have never been here. I’m grateful to all those that have suggested it to me over the last few years.
Here are the rest of the pictures from the springs and fall. Please enjoy!
