In the Cave, a photo from Queensland, East

Photographer's Note

This is another composition of the Natural Bridge, this one from inside the cave, looking towards the waterfall, falling into it. It too is an HDR, a method I prefer in a situation such as this to prevent blowing the highlights, while still maintaining some decent shadow detail. It is dark in here, the main light source is actually from the falling water itself. The stream of water to me almost seemed like a fibre optic network, bringing light down the stream with it. Using the HDR technique with my slowest speed here at 30 seconds, I had very little choice but to go for the silky look on the falling water.

This is shot 100 for me (102 if you count a couple I deleted). In any case, it is a time of reflection. I would like to thank Adam Silverman (adam) for setting this site up in the first place and giving it the great start that he did; I wish I had seen it a couple of years earlier. I would also like to thank all of the members, the many people that have posted such great inspiring shots and to those who have critiqued my work in the past, and told me when I was doing things right, and when I wasnt how to improve on it. A little constructive criticism can go a long way.

For this shot, I would like to thank Richard Cridland (rcrick) for getting me to the site, and for the loan of his tripod. Meeting with Rick was a lesson in itself. We all, on this and the other Trek sites, share a common interest, in photography. Time spent sharing this interest and knowledge can be a very fulfilling experience for all concerned.

Finally I would like to thank my wife for her patience, understanding and assistance. She has been there for many of my shots, pointing out potential positions or angles I might have missed, or holding a camera bag, tripod or umbrella while I got the shot. She has watched where I walked, when I was too busy looking through the camera view finder. She has brought along the water and sandwiches, that I always forget, and she has offered the first critique on many of the shots seen in, and outside of my gallery. The poorer shots in my gallery are the ones where I chose not to listen.

Workflow for this one as follows:
This is an HDR image
7 Shots taken at 17mm, ISO 100, f/11, 30 - 1/2 sec
I also took an extra set of 5 for insurance (not used)
Exposure range was from +3 to -3.
With conversion from 32 to 16 bit the white point was set for the top beam of light at the top of the falls
Levels used to lighten but this created some posterizing, so I deleted the layer
Curves used to create some contrast s-curve
Extra curves layer added to vegetation area selection to add some additional contrast there
Saturation layer used with +20 added to master
Duplicated layer and changed blend mode to screen to add light, but again I saw the posterizing problems so I scrapped it.
Needed more light for the rock detail so I copied and pasted my 30 second shot as a layer, I then applied a layer mask (100% black), then painted with a 20% opacity white brush to bring out the detail in the shadow areas, the texture you see in the rock is a result of this
Overlay layer with 5-15% opacity white brush used for some additional dodging
Resized, sharpened with USM for contrast, then smart sharpen to sharpen
Saturation increased incrementally +10 on master, (to match web colour proof colours with shot)
Saved at 88% quality for 195K

crckt, daddo, mvdisco, Golden_Eagle, MLINES, Floydian, macondo, rcrick, syd1946, jhm, MarcT, jusninasirun, wishlist, pierrefonds, skippy007, pablominto, alftrek, bakes888, ribeiroantonio, SteveH, Hellas oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

crckt (7222) 2008-06-23 18:27

Hi John,
This looks absolutely stunning, thanks to the correct exposure all throughout the shot. Do you use Photomatix to do the HDR? I am thinking of buying it. Would love to know your opinion.

daddo (28748) 2008-06-23 18:47

Hi John. An even more dramatic and alluring place than in the earlier shot.The tripod did the trick as did the flashlight. Lovely glistening highlights on the rock ceiling and a wonderful heavenly light on the top of the fall.I must add that you must be one of the luckier members to have such an understanding wife. She must be a treasure.No wonder your photos have an aura of contentment to them. Regards. Klaudio.

SteveH (8220) 2008-06-23 19:32

Hi John, Effective compostion in this shot with the light coming from the cave entrance balancing the light from the water. Great detail retained in the dark interior make it an interesting shot. Congratulations on your 100, oh, and is your wife avaialable for hire? I could do with someone to provide food and water the criticism I get plenty of though. cheers, Steve

mvdisco (17798) 2008-06-23 20:36

Hi John,
Excellent fallscape and well composed picture, lovely light and details, great colors too,
very well done and congradulations for your 100 post,
My compliments
Michel

Golden_Eagle (545) 2008-06-23 20:54

Hi John,
nice work - beautiful composition. Thank you for the detailed note. The photo is indeed a success - great detail, good light, color and sharpness.
Regards,
Daniel

MLINES (12516) 2008-06-23 23:17

Hi John, These two of the cave will create a lot of attention. Beautiful work, similar to the professional whose books are sold in very large format. Good atmosphere and effective presentation. TFS. Murray.

PS a wonderful tribute to Adam and those around you, i feel the same way.

delkoo (68) 2008-06-23 23:34

hi john,
you certainly have a very good eye for this type of photography, the composition, colours and light are just wonderful.

didier

ktanska (44446) 2008-06-24 0:24

Hi John,
Another cave shot. This time more gloomy with just small spots of sunshine. Very good contrasts and tones after careful PP. There's a soft edge on the right where cave roof makes a curve though.
Congratulations on your 100th upload!
Kari

Floydian (30970) 2008-06-24 0:47

Hi John,
Ah, this one is even better than the other one. A great touch of light, great mood. Some might say it's to dark, but on my screen there is lots of detail on the rocks. This is a perfect example of using HDR under very difficult circumstances...i can only say deep respect for setting this up and how the image finnaly is presented...excellent work..!!!
Regards, Henk

macondo (20449) 2008-06-24 1:56

Hi John.
First, thanks for your note the other day. Your HDR technique produces pictures of great quality, and like some of the others I think this one is even better with a more subtle presentation of the highlights. The water looks better too, with a more obvious effect of gravity on slightly less soft streams. I particularly like the little glints of light on the rock, and that segment of vegetation beyond the cave mouth on the far right.
I know how much it helps to have an encouraging and patient partner, too!
Well done.
Regards,
Andrew

rcrick (346) 2008-06-24 2:06

Hi John,

Another wonderful image, and I have no doubt you spent quite some time and effort working on this, the results speak for themselves its just superb, the detail you've achieved in the cave is in it self amazing, a truly wonderful composition, all the best,

Cheers Rick :)

syd1946 (1167) 2008-06-24 4:03

Hello John,
Great technique to capture the motion of the water in that way...The low light conditions giving a dreamy sense to this place with the nice small waterfall!

Greetings,
Thomas

jhm (211734) 2008-06-24 4:15

Hello John,

Congratulation with your 100th picture on TE, nice milestone.
Very nice shot in this difficult lighting situation. I can say I'm a great fan of 'soft' blurry water, also the compostion is great and the rest of the detail is superbly and naturally rendered as a result of your HDR work. The subtle highlights on the rock bridge are well presented.
I want you thanks, for this showing it.

Greetings from Belgium,
John.

bracasha75 (24591) 2008-06-24 5:04

Hi Jonh
This are the most beautiful play of Nature
There give always good reason why are this place hiden
Very beautiful
TFS
Cheers,Braca

MarcT (20964) 2008-06-24 6:52

Hi John,
Same concept as the last picture. Very long and useful note to learn about HDR.
Cheers
Marc

mumek (20226) 2008-06-24 7:43

Good morning John!
Another beautiful composition from Springbrook. Excellent play of light, colours and shadows.You captured very sharp details of the rocks. My compliments.Thanks for very interesting and informative note
best regards
ziggy

jusninasirun (17529) 2008-06-24 8:18

Hello John. This is a beautiful closer look at the fall. The glow and the ambiance with the light clipping on the foreground rock is brilliant. The shine on the right of the frame is like a pot of gold. Excellent composition and very well done. Jusni

wishlist (4133) 2008-06-24 12:46

Hi John,
this is even better than the previous one! You managed to show us great details even in the darkest area and you brought in a great mood. Once again your HDR tecnique is superlative with a well balanced final result, with great details and a very "natural look". Hope to see 100 and more beautiful picture from you man, my congratulations!
Take care,

Igor

pierrefonds (113512) 2008-06-24 14:18

Hi John,

The capture of the light rays on the water are assets to the composition. The point of view is allowing us to see the details and colors of the interior of the cave. The subject is well frame. Have a nice day.

Pierre

skippy007 (12510) 2008-06-24 16:18

Hi John, Firstly congratulation on your 100th post. I was fortunate to come across your work quite a while ago & have followed it closely ever since because of the quality of work you produce & also because you are readily willing to part with your knowledge, in your worklow write ups, promptly answer any questions & offer further assistance if needed, informative notes on the subjects you photograph & your well informed critiques.
Fantastic shot, well composed, interest created by the excellent light & tonal range.
My wife will no longer come with me after dark, your wife is still by your side, lucky fella ;-).
Sincere thanks
Take care
Santo

pablominto (53746) 2008-06-25 1:53

Hello John,

A mysterious place, where the special play of light adds a lot to the atmosphere!
You do a fine job exposure wise, as this seems to be a challenge to photograph...
A well balanced presentation with lovely details!

Greetings,
Pablo -

alftrek (3270) 2008-06-25 20:51

Hi John,

Congratulation to your 100th post.

I am very impressed with you efforts in coming up with such an excellent photo, carefully crafted in composition and lighting management. The reflections and fine details on the rocks are amazing, and a glimpse through the arched cave entrance(looks like an eagle's eye) to the right with glittering gold colour indicates the outside ambiance.

Have a great day!
Regards
Alfred

kpav (5031) 2008-06-26 10:19

Hello John, very impressive shot with great misty atmosphere and amazing water texture. High level of detail in the light and shadow parts. Thanks for sharing.
Best regards,
Kostas.

bakes888 (18499) 2008-06-27 2:19

Hi John. Congrats on you century. Nice photo to celebrate. Difficult lighting but the HDR has come to the fore here. I feel the HDR in this shot is subtly used and doesnt overpower as its apt to on occasions and there is enough dark space to give the scene reality. Nice work and thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2008-06-29 6:44

At first sight it looks dark but after a while we can see numerous details all over the frame and conclude that it is an exceptionally good work. And your note is impressive too. Regarding what you say about your wife, quite frankly I can see us (my wife and I) in the same boat.
Antonio

angela926 (1884) 2008-06-29 9:35

Hello John,
Very lovely capture, beautiful colors, good clarity, excellent composition and good pov,superb sharpness and exposure, the water movement is fantastic.
TFS
Angela

pboehringer (770) 2008-06-30 15:59

John,
seeing this shot I get nervous. I just had a major accident with my D200 and this slippery environment makes my really nervous! It gives me the feeling that you hada hard time to get in and out safe. At the end the final product is what counts. This is certainly a more or less longexposure and I wonder how long. That little speckle of light on the waterfall is just right exposed giving me the clue that you probably had the shutter around 1-2 seconds. That little speckle - Oh man! That is to die for it.
Peter

zeca (19762) 2008-06-30 18:14

Hi John!
Thanks for sharing the secrets of New Zealand. This is just great! Congratulations for the excellent work, specially on the exposition.
Regards,
Zeca

Waylim (25436) 2008-07-02 18:22

John,
I think I like this one a little more than the last. Again, absolutely beautiful image. I love the atmosphere captured with the slow shutter speed, the waterfalls so smooth like ray of sunshine through the rock. The texture and details of the natural bridge is also well visible. I like that it was darker in the surrounding that draw my eyes more to the waterfalls. I love it. Thanks John.
Way

batalay (41261) 2008-07-03 20:24

Hello John,

Congratulations on the 100th photograph that you submitted, and, indeed, it is a most worthy century mark. Your detailed note is very useful in explaining the technique you've used. The effect achieved, with the water simulating the fiber optic transmission of light, is extraordinary. The composition, colors and textures all collaborate in making this a very successful and memorable image.

Warm regards,

Bulent

dvlazar (6662) 2008-08-07 6:55

John this is an amazing photo of Natural Arch - it's just perfect. Reading that it's HDR stands to reason - it would be really hard to get this exposure otherwise! Most of the time the water fall is way to washed out - but here we see all the detail.
The best shot ive seen of this great sight.
Cheers,
Dave

edal (6804) 2008-09-23 14:11

Hello John!
I was surprised to find such a variety of underground colors. It looks really fabtastic!
Friendly regards,
Anton

Hellas (7123) 2009-02-27 0:37

Hi John!
This is a great speech that anyone can appreciate!
Your image is superb! HDR technique proved useful, indeed!
The most I like, is this magical place! I followed you into the penetralia of the cave and I am very happy!
I like women like your wife! Reminds me my wife, too! Many thanks to them for all their help and understanding!

Warm regards,
Athanasios.

delpeoples (60342) 2009-05-27 5:46

Hi John, this is just magnificent, a perfect advertisement for our country! I love the composition and the use of light. Your note is highly informative and so technically advanced it scares me :) TFS, Lisa.

PixelTerror (0) 2009-07-14 2:46

Hi John,
Nice image with the silky effect on the water from the long exposure, hdr is okay when kept natural which is the case here and benefits to the overall rendering
Have a nice day jY