October and November were much drier than normal here but finally, on the day before Thanksgiving, it warmed up a bit and rained over 2 inches. I thought, with all that rain, that waterfalls might be worth looking at, so off I went.
Normally this depth marker in the Ashuelot River can’t be seen. When it is, you know it has been very dry. After the rain on November 27th, it is underwater once again.
I decided that my first waterfall would be Beaver Brook Falls, north of Keene. The only way to get to them is by walking, and when you do you have to pass the disappearing waterfall that flows down the hillside on the far side of the brook. This stream appears only when we’ve had a large amount of rain and if we don’t have more it will disappear in a day or two.
The falls were roaring as I expected. The mist was reaching me from across the pool but there was very little ice here. Montucky had a great shot of a frozen waterfall on his Montana Outdoors blog and I’m hoping that this waterfall will be as beautiful if it freezes. It’s hard to imagine such a large volume of water freezing, but it can.
Brickyard Brook, which is south of Keene, had more ice on it and some of the formations, like these long needles that had formed on the shore, were really interesting, Watching ice grow is more exciting than watching it melt, in my book.
The stones in the brook had cooled off enough so Ice crystals were forming around them as well. If the weather stays cold these ice skirts will grow larger and will finally join with those along the shoreline, and that’s all we’ll see of this creek bottom until March.
Brickyard brook was a good place to practice my water blurring skills. Blurring water shows the viewer that the water is moving instead of just sitting still. At least, that’s what I get from statements like “blurred water conveys the impression of motion in a still photograph.” I’m not sure why anyone would think the water in a stream was sitting still, but that is the argument usually made for blurring water.
There is quite a war of words going on between those who blur water and those who don’t, with those who don’t saying it doesn’t look natural and those who do saying that it is “dreamy” and gives a greater impression of motion. Personally, I think it’s over done, but I have seen some really beautiful blurred water photos.
I think blurred water is best used when the focus is on the water itself as it is in this photo. When water is just one part of a wider landscape photo made up of many different elements, blurred water seems distracting because it forces the viewer to focus on the water instead of the landscape as a whole.
After Brickyard brook I headed north to Nelson, New Hampshire to see what the cold had done to Bailey brook falls and yes, it was as cold as it looks-and slippery too. There are two waterfalls along this short stretch of brook and the lower falls shown in this photo were in deep shade. In this instance I had no choice but to blur the water, because no amount of upping the ISO or fiddling with f stops helped. I could only hope for sunshine at the upper falls.
The folks in Nelson saw dusting of snow the night before but before I left most of it had melted anywhere that the sun had touched it.
The sun wasn’t melting the ice though.
There was a little more sunlight at the upper falls, but I decided to blur them anyway because there wasn’t much of anything else of interest in this scene.
This would have been a great place to sit and have some lunch, but I don’t usually carry any. Maybe I should start, and spend a little more time sitting in the woods rather than just hiking through them. I’d see a lot more birds and animals that way.
All the added water made for some good waves in the Ashuelot River. I think this photo shows a good example of when not to blur water. Even though the water itself is the focal point in this instance I think it would have ruined the shot.
What do you think about blurred water in photos? Do my thoughts on the subject make sense, or am I all wet?
A cheery relaxation is man’s natural state, just as nature itself is relaxed. A waterfall is concerned only with being itself, not with doing something it considers waterfall-like. ~Vernon Howard
Thanks for coming by.
New Hampshire Garden Solutions 
I think blurred water looks quite good, as you say, sort of dreamy and surreal but you’re right it can be overdone. Yours are lovely though. My favourite has to be the needles of ice, they look like a beautiful piece of crystal jewellery.
Thanks! I like those ice needles too. They’re really interesting but often dirty and hard to get a good shot of.
I don’t really have an opinion about blurred water, but I do wonder why flowing water, especially rushing over rocks, is so fascinating and comforting at the same time.
I wish I could answer that. Some primal need, maybe. Since we can’t survive without water I think that’s why ancient encampments are almost always found beside rivers and streams. It makes sense that water would give us a sense of well being.
Very nice images, Allen…I prefer the water in its natural state, like your last image….it looks “real.”
Thanks Scott. I lean in that direction as well but there are times, especially when fall foliage is involved, that blurred water can be really striking. I think it’s overdone enough to have worn some people out.
I only like blurring in moderation. I love the motion in the last photograph and agree you wouldn’t have portrayed the same feeling if it had been blurred. It is up to the artist in the photographer to get it right. I haven’t tried blurring yet so I’ve no experience.
Thank you for your input. Blurring is relatively easy but you really should have a tripod to keep the surroundings in focus while using a slow shutter speed on the water, otherwise everything looks blurry.
If you are near flowing water you are near to my heart. Enjoyed the photos and I enjoy both realistic shots and blurred. The fact that the blurred shots can show the dynamics as Montucky said catch my eye. When the shots show an eddy below the falls or behind a rock my mind goes to imagining a trout fanning below ready to snatch a meal.
Thanks Grampy. I’m never too far from moving water-we have little brooks and streams everywhere here. It’s true that blurred water shows a lot of movement, especially around rocks and logs and I like doing it when the water itself is the subject rather than just part of a landscape shot. I see fish every now and then in these brooks. My father loved fishing for brook trout and he’d be fishing all of these places if he were still with us.
Great photos! I like blurred water shots and have a large collection of my own. I enjoy studying them to see the dynamics of flowing water especially.
Some of them can be really beautiful and interesting at the same time, and I definitely think there is a place for them.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one watching ice grow. I can’t imagine having that many places to visit. Great hike. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you. I visit many different places, most within a half hour drive from home. I like all the various shapes and patterns of ice.
So, it’s really hilly where you live? We have flat from 7-8 miles south of our house and hilly mostly from there to the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. There’s one waterfall about 25 miles.
Yes, it’s very hilly here. Keene is built in a flattish valley completely surrounded by hills, and there;s no way out but up and over. All the hills makes for many waterfalls, but they can be hard to find.
So, you don’t have strong winds being in a valley? We’re on the flats and get the full force. We have rain, snow, sleet and strong winds forecast for the next 2 days. I am looking forward to taking ice pictures.
We do get high winds occasionally and even had a tornadoe a few years ago, but I’m sure they’re nothing like the winds you see. I hope yours aren’t too strong this time around. I’m looking forward to your ice pictures!
We do live in what’s called “tornado alley.” I was in one in a neighboring town 25 miles away with my daughter years ago. We made national news with one 2 or 3 years ago. It was 3/4 mile at most from our house.
Hopefully you won’t see any more of those!
Two is more than enough!
I liked one of your blurred pictures but not the others so I am in the neutral camp. I have tried it myself but haven’t a good result. If I took a blurred picture that I liked, maybe I would become more positive about it. I enjoyed your ice shots the most.
Thank you. Everyone seems to like ice. For blurry water, it’s almost impossible to get a good shot without a tripod, but sometimes you can get away with it if there is a well placed rock handy. That’s what I did with the photos of brickyard brook because I was too lazy to carry a tripod. I usually use the lowest ISO that I can get away at about half a second, but the available light (or lack thereof) is what matters most, as usual.
These are absolutely beautiful, I especially love your blurry waterfall photos. Well done!
Thank you Sue. I’m looking forward to taking some snow pictures, if we get any this winter.
Reblogged this on Writing Out Loud and commented:
Always great pictures of NH, and if that is too much, how about always great pictures.
I am getting tired of saying how good your pictures AND script are, so I am just going to reblog them.
Thank you. I hope your readers enjoy them!
A couple of quick thoughts; the fourth photo, Watching Ice form, my first thought was “better than watching paint dry!” Photo five with the “ice skirts” was perfect – I will steal that term one of these days as soon as I can figure out how to use it in a post. Blurring water was a fascinating tutorial and I loved the first shot with the stateliness of the trees balanced against the water rushing toward you.
The quote was perfect!
Thanks Martha. I’ve been redoing my house, room by room, so I can agree that just about anything beats watching paint dry. “Skirts” seems to be the only term that fits the ice formations that I see on stones. I doubt that I’m the first to think of it but feel free to use it whenever you like. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
I loved the waterfalls, but my favorites were the ice!
As for long exposures for waterfalls (blurring), in my opinion, it depends on the volume of water and the size of the falls. Small falls, or a series of cascades look better burred, as that tends to add the appearance of volume to the water flowing over them. But, for larger falls, I prefer to shoot at higher shutter speeds, for a more natural look. But, just to make sure, in the few instances that I photograph falls, I try to shoot them both naturally, and with longer shutter speeds and then choose the best photo from the series.
In general, too many photographers fall victim to Moore’s law, if a little looks good, more has to be better, but that isn’t always true, especially in the ocean shots you described. I’ve seen some that I liked, but most are overdone, like the blurring of waterfalls.
Thanks Jerry.
I wonder why I’m not surprised that a son of Michigan would like ice!
I agree, I’m going to take the extra time and shoot water both ways from now on. That way, I’ll have a choice when I put the post together. As you well know, it’s hard to know what is going to look good when you’re out in the field.
I also agree that blurring is overdone. Probably because it’s actually much easier to do than getting a crisp photo of a waterfall or wave at higher shutter speeds where the motion has been stopped.
Thanks for your input.
FYI – I’ve been pinning your posts here: http://www.pinterest.com/citrineblueray/nature/
Thank you. Maybe more people will become interested in the outside world!
Namaste NHGS,
The photos are all gorgeous. Beautifully taken! Thank you for sharing your part of the world with us. With your permission, may I use some of your photos on my desktop?
Bright Reiki blessings,
Agnes
Thank you Agnes. Yes, please feel free to use whatever you like.
Great shots and post! I now have a water level marker in my stream so I can send photos of height and flooding going on with the release of the dam and into small stream on my property : Feels good to know you have been HEARD 🙂
Thanks. That’s great about the marker-it sounds like it should have been done a long time ago though. Hopefully it will help them do something about your flooding problems.
Thanks we do too and yes with the one photo a dy from my yards view it should rectify ALOT
I hope it works out. You would think that the photos would get someone’s attention. Good luck!
Thanks so far they have now to get them seen at the top of the CHAIN OF COMMAND 🙂 I could just make them pay my property taxes each year 🙂 though not sure State wants to foot the bill for what would be LAKE FRONT PROPERTY 🙂
It all sounds kind of ridiculous. You’d think they could straighten something like that out with a simple phone call.
I never knew dam was there never knew what was taking place on my property till the wreck when I was stuck here looking out the window 😦 now we all know
Fantastic pictures, you do wonderful work in bringing your water images alive on the screen. Thanks goodness for the rain – we are in drought here in TX and got little relief in October, but no where near what we need.
Thank you Mary. My son was stationed in Texas for a while and said it seemed awfully dry there. I guess he wasn’t just imagining it. I hope you’ll see more rain soon.
A nice photo-essay there Allan. I particularly liked the icicles over the stream although I thought it would have been a better angle if you had waded out into mid-stream. 😉 I joke of course but that always seems to be the case when I’m photographing rivers and streams; the best angle always seems to be impossible without getting very wet and cold.
As to blurring water: for me it depends entirely on the circumstances and what looks the most real. I try to blur waterfalls (a bit) as that is how I see the water in those situations. With waves in rapidly moving rivers, I try to get them sharp for the same reason. One thing that really gets up my nose is when people make long exposures of the sea and all the waves disappear completely to be replaced by an indistinct milky mass. When did the sea ever look fuzzy? As you can see, realism is important to me in my photography. But ultimately the only thing that really matters is what gives the individual photographer pleasure in producing.
Thanks Jim. I know what you mean about being in the middle of the stream. Last summer I was at Bailey Brook and found a way out onto a little island in mid stream but this time around it looked a little slippery, so I had to pass.
Thanks for your thoughts on blurry water. I agree with you on “fuzzy” oceans. Why bother? It sure doesn’t look natural to me but I guess that it all boils down to personal preference, as you say.
Ahhh, to blur or not to blur…that is the question. There are definitely arguments on both sides and usually people are firmly in one camp or the other. I agree with you, there are certainly times when one is better than the other as your final shot of the Ashuelot shows…blurred, that photo would have meant nothing. When I saw the title of the post, I knew immediately where you probably took your spill in Nelson (again , glad you weren’t hurt). I have seen some very cool ice formations and crystals this year. It is fun watching them grow, but on the other hand, melting implies warmer temps on the way. If you get a chance, Tucker Brook Falls in Milford is looking very nice at the moment and still easy to get to. I’m doing Milford this week, so you’ll see my shots on Monday. Have a great week!
Thanks Laura. I love trying to get shots of ice, but it sure is slippery. I was actually trying to stand up when I took my spill, but gravity had other ideas. If it wasn’t for my tripod I probably would have gone for a chilly swim in Bailey Brook. Thanks for your thoughts on blurry water. I think I’ll just do both from now on and choose when I put the post together. I’ve never heard of Tucker Brook falls, so I’ll be anxiously awaiting your Monday post. Take care on the ice!
I like the fact that you were able to include shots of multiple waterfalls, so we could see the differences in the moving water (and ice). I too am fascinated by ice formation and enjoy seeing how crystals are formed in different ways. I like your blurred water shots, but agree with you that the process can be overdone (and I have read some of those debates about the merits of blurring or not blurring the moving water). “A cheery relaxation is man’s natural state”–those are great words to ponder.
Thanks Mike. If it wasn’t for the 4 days I had off at Thanksgiving I probably wouldn’t have been able to do this post. Thanks for your thoughts on blurring water. I think I’ll take shots both blurred and not blurred from now on and then see which one I like best. I liked that quote too-a cheery relaxation sounds like a great place to be.
I love pictures with water in them so this was a great blog for me, thank you.
Thank you Susan. I like water photos too and spend a lot of time near water, so you’ll see plenty of it here. Anytime now though, it will be in the form of ice.