I had to look back at the last time I went to Chewacla State Park specifically to photograph the waterfall, and I was shocked that it was way back in 2011, more than 10 years ago. The images from that day are so different from the ones I just captured, and of course it was a completely different time of year as well. I clearly had not been to the park in winter to take photos. Every location changes with the seasons and the times, and while there are a lot of natural things that don’t change like rocks, time moves on and the images do as well. I love the greens and reds that came out in this set of shots.
In fact, it had been so long since I had been down to the waterfall I got semi-lost on the trails on the way down because I started wandering around above the falls. Walking through there was a great reminder to me, when it comes to photography anyway, that returning to places you have already covered is always beneficial to growing and maturing in what you capture. I didn’t look at the old images before I went out there this time, which helped quite a bit. That meant I had less preconceived notions about where I should shoot and how I should compose the images.
This day was gray, overcast, almost dark, with very dull or almost no light. I’ve learned that natural light photography is never what you want or expect, and yet, you can still work with any available light. Because the light was so flat and dull the colors on this cabin were very even, like a natural polarizer, with very few harsh shadows or contrast. I’ve walked by this little outhouse building many times before but never stopped to actually take a photo of it. Maybe it was the light this time, but I stopped this go around, and I’m so glad I did. I love the greens and natural look in this dull light.
The super muted light had the same effect on the falls, the rocks and bed under the water. In this part of the state, in the right conditions, the ground can take on this super red-rusty color as it did on this day. A good supply of oxygen in the subsoil keeps the iron in the soil oxidized resulting in a bright red color that is similar to rust, or at least that’s what I’ve been told. I’m not anywhere near a geologist, but that’s the reason for the red colors in the images below.
I took a few self-portrait photos this time to show the scale of the falls. It’s actually not a super huge waterfall, but it is still a beautiful sight, and one that you can sit and enjoy without a ton of people around. To get that soft flowing water I used a 3.0-5.0 second exposure, longer as it got darker. If you want to see the higher resolution files with the EXIF data you can head over to the Flickr gallery for that.
If you are in the Lee County area and haven’t been down to the Chewacla State Park Waterfalls, it’s well worth the trip. It’s a short walk from the parking lot (if you go straight down to the falls and don’t go right on the trails). Bring some good hiking shoes because the rocks are huge. If you have some shots I’d love to see them, drop a link in the comments below so we can all check them out. If you want to follow our van places, you can check out the tag LOKI.
