Iguazu Falls Brazil Rock Series

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

A shot taken from a trail on my belly, as low as i could get.
Camera Model Canon EOS 7D
Firmware Firmware Version 1.1.0
Shooting Date/Time 10/14/2010 6:341 AM
Author DON_HAMILTON_JR.flyinghamiltons@comcast.net
Copyright Notice 2010
Owner's Name
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 0.6
Av( Aperture Value ) 22.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 200
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length 24.0mm

[Andrew McLachlan]

A nice view. Not the typical view we normally see of this falls. The horizon looks a little tilted to me though. I would clone out what looks like a handrail in the upper right corner if it were mine. It looks very lush there.

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

Andrew, thks for your input, could you direct me to where i can correct the tilt, i'm still have a long way to go in post processing..:(

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Don, It would seem that the top of the falls should be level; it looks as if it needs a pretty big rotation. Best to use a bubble level in the hot shoe. Love the image design. Not that white sky :) Good catch on the hand rail by Andrew.

[Arthur Morris]

Ah, I just read the "on my belly" comment. Hard to get the camera level without a double bubble in those awkward positions :)

[Van Hilliard]

I too love the lushness of this scene. My first reaction too was that the image needed to be straightened but otherwise, I think this works really well. I didn't even see that handrail until I read Andrew's comments. Then it grew and grew. I think this is a beautiful photo, Don. If you need some help on straightening, send me a message -- assuming you are using Photoshop.

[Dave Mills]

Don, Nice type of image to shoot in overcast light. Agree on the rotation(top of falls should be level)but like the falls in the backround with the water rushing at the viewer. Agree on cloning out the handrail since it's not adding much to the overall.
Another compositional possiblitiy was moving to the left(if you didn't risk your life)with the large rock on the right framing the flow.You would also have to be sure the back falls were still in plain view. Just another idea....

[Don Hamilton Jr.]

Thks all, Van ; i'll ping you later, as i'm trying to locate the icon, or command to adjust the tilt in PS CS4 , yes artie you are right ;the bubble is the way to go, and i was using that until i was down on my belly trying to see thru the view finder. You folks are great, appreciate the encouragement, and yeap i really missed the handrail as well....

[Nick Palmieri]

Hey Don, Love the flow of water. There are several ways to level your image in PP but when water falls are involved I usually just duplicate the layer and use free transform to eyeball (or use grid-lines) to level the image, then crop slighlty to clean up the edges. In my opinion, for this image, I would crop just above the falls and leave the sky out entirely, this would also eliminate the fence. TFS

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Don,

Sorry for late reply, just got back. You can adjust the level in CS4 by clicking on Filter>Distort>Lens Correction and then start adjusting the angle or a much simpler way is to use the crop tool and rotate the crop selection until it looks level. As Arthur suggested use the bubble level. Regardless of whether shooting landscapes or animals the bubble level is good to have as a reference for shooting square with the world.

[Arthur Morris]

One huge advantage of the bubble is that with wide angle lenses (and especially with the fish eyes) is that if you are off just a bit you lose a good portion of the image....

[Robert Amoruso]

Well done for the reasons mentioned. I too like the falls in the BG but find the brightness of the area somewhat distracting. Rotation mentioned.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Don,
Great stuff above! I like Nick's idea of the crop.....it doesn't take away from the lushness and removes the only distraction. Very nice choice of SS too with just the right amount of silkiness in the water. The grid in live view also helps in keeping relatively straight horizons.....especially when on the belly!...so keep that in mind!