Water action at Great Falls National Park

Great Falls national Park is a photographers gem here in the mid Atlantic. Situated just 15 minutes outside of the District of Columbia, this location offers some of the wildest waterscapes in one of the most heavily populated areas of the country. The Potomac River puts on a show of power and beauty as it drops through Mather Gorge with thundering waters, large waterfalls and rock islands only accessible by brave souls in kayaks.

The first shot in this post can only be accessed by down climbing the rock face from the first overlook on the Virginia side just behind the visitor center. i made this shot on a very foggy and cold morning just after sunrise. The mighty flow of the river and the principal falls of the park were made dreamy by the use of a very long exposure (15 seconds at F16) to create a dreamy effect. the long exposure also did a fine job of letting the fog flow across the frame and add to the dreamy effect. I used a Singh Ray 3 stop ND grad (hard edge) filter to hold back the exposure or brightness of the sky while exposing for much darker gorge. I based my exposure by taking a spot meter reading of the gray/yellow rocks in the immediate foreground.

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