Second Chances: Finding Beauty Beyond Expectations

In my last blog post, I shared the story of a cold January day when my quest for the perfect photo at a frozen waterfall fell short. But as luck would have it, Mother Nature had one more surprise in store for me.

After a week of milder temperatures that melted away much of the snow and ice, I thought my chance for redemption had slipped away. Yet, just when I least expected it, the mercury plummeted once again, offering me a second shot at capturing the magic of the frozen landscape.

Determined not to let this opportunity pass me by, I geared up and returned to the waterfall, armed with both my camera equipment and the experience gained from my previous outing. As I made my way along the familiar trail, I couldn’t help but marvel at the transformation that had taken place in just a few short days.

Gone was the imposing sheet of ice that had adorned the waterfall before. At first, I was a bit disappointed. But in its place, I discovered a newly opened opportunity of foreground elements that promised to add depth and interest to the photo. Excited by the possibilities that lay before me, I set about exploring the scene, searching for the perfect vantage point from which to capture the beauty of the landscape.

After much deliberation and countless adjustments, I finally settled on a composition that I felt truly did justice to the scene before me. As I made my way back to the car, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I had captured a photo that met my expectations. But rather than calling it a day, I found myself drawn to another nearby waterfall that had captured my attention in the past. I almost went on but decided to position my tripod, unpack my ND filters and give it a try as well.

Settled back in my car, I first enjoyed seeing the blue sky and the midday sun and almost drove straight home to work on the photos I just made. Yet I felt compelled to seek out two more nearby locations.

I didn’t expect to get outstanding photos as I had reached midday, blue sky and hard sunlight – all the ingredients you usually want to avoid for good photos. But still – I was surprised with a beautiful setting. Yes, the sky would have benefited from less sun & light. But the result still amazed me.

On the second location I tried a couple of shots and almost gave up. But luckily I remembered that I also brought my ND filters and thought: why not play around with the filters? I don’t have too much experience with them and have a hard time imagining how the photo turns out when the filters are applied. So I better started experimenting. A couple of photos and a nice chat with a fellow photographer later. I finally decided to end this part of the day and return back home for lunch and post processing.