Earlier this week, a friend and I drove to Swan Falls, Idaho, for a short day-trip and photographic expedition. This gave me a chance to try out my newly-acquired Nikon D7000 (bought used from a friend), taking its first photographs as the new owner.
First, some humor:
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| Typical Speed Limit Sign in Rural Idaho |
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Now, onto more serious work.
I took two sets of HDR photographs. With HDR, I like to take five bracketed photographs with +/-2ev, and +/-1ev compensation spread. Using a photo editor, they are blended into the final image. These are over-done, but I enjoyed the project
(See this keyliner article for a discussion of HDR techniques: Stanley Forest Burn).
Here is the final HDR of the first set of photos, after cropping and editing.
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| +/- 1ev HDR, looking West Click for a larger view (0ev shot at f11 1/25sec ISO 125 18-200 Nikon DX at 18mm, with polarizer and HDR) |
For reference, this is the same picture taken at +0ev, non-HDR, before cropping and before editing:
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| Non-HDR, non-edited. Note vignetting caused by the polarizer at 18mm |
With the wind, the clouds were briskly on the move. There was not enough time between exposures to take all of the layered photos and this caused artifacts in the final HDR. Knowing this, and hoping for the best, I settled for a three-image spread, using +/-1ev.
Nikon Cameras are capable of taking a three-shot-spread using a "Bracket" control, but being unfamiliar with the camera, I could not get the control to work. Instead, I bracketed manually, using exposure compensation. This meant fiddling with the controls for 20 seconds between shots, which was more than enough for the clouds to ghost.
The ghosting is not visible in the camera's preview, but I was confident the stacked HDR phtoto would fail. I was right. This photo could not be printed. Click the HDR image above and study the sky -- it fell apart. The wind is why I only took 2 HDR series that day.
(Out of principle, I never use the camera's
internal HDR, preferring to fail, spending hours with a photo-editor.)
HDR - Horizontal View
As expected, the second HDR, taken about 5 meters down the cliff side, had the same problems with galloping clouds.
At home I fixed the problem with the editor. I cut the sky from the +0ev exposure, overlaying on top of the HDR and cutting carefully along the horizon line. This meant the bottom-half of the photo was HDR while the top-half was not. I find this humorous and it gave good results.
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| +/- 1ev HDR Click for larger view (0ev) f11 1/30 ISO 125 18-200 DX at 18mm, HDR |
Colorized Black and White Version
Using a technique that Randal Davis, of Boise, Idaho, taught me, I made a black and white version, then put back-in the blue river and sky. You would never know this was a black-and-white picture. It looks like typical Southern Idaho scene:
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| Colorized black and white Click for larger view |
Here were the assembly steps for the black and white:
1. HDR the original three images, as described above. The sky will have artifacts from the wind.
Make this the HDR exposure and save in the main editing window.
2. From another image, cut the sky from the best single image (one without artifacts).
Cut carefully along the horizon line.
Paste this on top of the HDR, positioning correctly.
Do not worry about the river.
3. Duplicate the base layer on top of the sky
4. Convert the top-layer to B&W, leaving it as the top layer
5. From the BW layer, erase along the sky, then along the river, letting the colors bleed through
6. Combine the layers for the final image.
7. I used a slight Neutral Density Graduation on the sky, darkening the top.
Compare the blue in the river with the photo above. It is the same blue.
SwanFalls, Idaho 2021
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HDR photo, looking North by Northwest.
This was a spur-of-the moment late-morning day-trip. One should wait for early morning or late-late afternoon for landscapes like this.
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| Snake River, looking South. A windy day. Non-HDR snapshot |
Snake River Canyon and Swan Falls
The Swan Falls Dam and Power Plant, 40 miles South of Boise, Idaho, was built in 1901 to power the silver mines further south, in the Owhyee mountains. It later powered Caldwell, and Pierce Park, west of Boise, where I now live.
The site is now a museum, and picnic area. The museum is open Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., between April 15 and Labor Day, or by appointment. Year-round, you can walk across the dam and hike various trails.
Several years ago, my brother and I jet-boated from Celebration Park, in Caldwell, Idaho, to the base of the dam. The area is popular for bass and sturgeon fishing. Reportedly, some Mariners like to hit submerged rocks and sink their ships while making this journey.
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| The Idaho Power "Swan Falls" power plant, seen from the canyon rim |
This area hosts the Snake River Birds of Prey Wildlife Conservation Area, which is where most of these photos were taken. Seven miles before the dam you will find a short, well-marked trail that takes you to the rim, overlooking the river. The trail is only a few hundred yards long and is accessible year-round. Expect wind. If you go, find and recover my black baseball cap, somewhere over the edge of the cliffs.
In good weather, you can stand at the top of the canyon and look down at soaring raptors as they ride updrafts.
Driving instructions:
From Boise, drive west on I84, taking the Meridian and Kuna exit, 44.
At the interchange, drive South on highway 69. As you approach downtown Kuna, Idaho, the road sweeps to the right. Follow into town. Note the sign for the Visitor Center, and veer left, onto Swan Falls Road.
Drive South 12 miles on a well-paved road to reach the overlooks and the dam. This is accessible year-round. The drive down the canyon, to the dam, is unusually steep.
If the weather is nice, consider climbing a rock outcropping called "Initial Point," which is about mid-way from Kuna to the falls.
Related Articles:
Keyliner HDR techniques: Stanley Forest Burn
Swan Falls, second attempt
Tripod review
