No Tricks

Determined to succeed, with a 25 pound back pack strapped to my back and my heavy tripod in its case slung around my neck, my feet took me to the steep incline where I was about to with abated breath, go down in order to get to a creek bed.

Climbing over the steel side rail, I carefully assessed whereupon to place my first step.  Finding that place, I gauged how close I could get to the first tree to hang on to.  Tree one, accomplished!  A few more carefully placed steps, tree two!  Almost to the bottom … a few more carefully placed steps, calves screaming, knees shaking, I arrived safe, triumphant, and looking ahead to my Treasure that awaited me.

Oh YES!!! Where I remembered the falls to be, they were exactly as I pictured them to be.  Now all I had to do was to carefully walk across slippery wet shale in order to set up my tripod in the creek, as low as possible to the water.

Accomplishing all I set out to do, I ever so carefully took out my camera and attached it to my tripod.  One false move and my camera would be in water!  Oh yes, careful I was!!!  And yes, my Heart was pounding as the sweat trickled down my face.

I began to photograph the falls.  My Heart sank, though, thinking that the filtered sunlight that was streaming through the thick trees was too bright.  I began to think to myself that I should have come instead towards twilight.  Yet, I had not come all this way to quit.  I had chosen the filter (ND8), I had chosen the lens (70-300mm), and I had chosen the spots.  And I proceeded to continue with this shoot!

I captured magic, my friends.  No tricks with this image.  I promise.  The settings are:  ISO 100, f/45, shutter speed 25 seconds.  No, I did not see with my naked eye what my camera captured.  Astonished is underplaying what I felt when I first saw this image in my editor.

Please do enjoy!!!  I still don’t know if I will be up to blogging, so if I don’t come to see you, understand that I have gone through months of pulling not one, but two cats from death’s door.  I published this for YOUR enjoyment and for to have a jaw dropping moment.  I guarantee you shall!!!

And oh!  Yes, getting up that incline to get out of that gully, was a wee hairy.  I had to walk bent forward going as quickly as I could, or else the weight of the back pack would have pulled me back and I would have fallen backwards.  Good to know that once again that sheer determination got me to the top, in victory, a bit out of breath, and sweating, yet I made it!!! Thank goodness for those trees!!

One last note.  If you hit the VISIT link in the reader, you will see this post right on Petals Unfolding, where I have selected the exact color scheme for your maximum viewing enjoyment.  You won’t regret it.  I promise!!! (smile)

 Photography/ “No Tricks” 2015©AmyRose

[Creek at Chestnut Ridge Park, NY]