350 - Myrtle Falls
*Note: This adventure also features an in-field vlog.
This shoot at Myrtle Falls was a tricky one. I don’t think I’ve ever dealt with such a heavy difference of dynamic range in my life. I keep spelling Myrtle wrong by the way. Whoever made that spelling can go fuck themselves.
But seriously. We show up to this place, and there’s really only one iconic shot- Myrtle Falls with Mt. Rainier in the backdrop. To get to the the location, it’s about a half mile hike from the main lodge of Rainier National Park. So as you can imagine, it’s busy af. Luckily, sunset wasn’t until 8:45pm, so most people began to clear out early.
I take a look at the shot. It’s extremely dark in the foreground waterfall because it’s in a mini canyon, and extremely bright in the background mountain, because there’s not a single cloud in the sky- and the light’s hitting HARD. To the point where Rainier just looked like a hazy non-contrasted mess compared to the completely moody foreground.
At one point I even muttered about how shitty it looked outloud, and some tourist made a comment about it. Hahaha, yes... I was in a mood because this was my 5th day shooting in a row.
Even with my Sony a7rIII, I struggled to get the full range. I bracketed the shots for exposure, but since there was so many trees on the horizon line, the contrast/detail wasn’t handling too well. I prayed to the editing gods it would come out, and left a little after sunset.
I pop open my computer in anticipation. Objectively, I wanted to do a sky replacement. But I wasn’t sure how I was going to pull it off. Partially because I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing on Photoshop. I’m at a point where I can do basic replacements *really well*, but difficult replacements are *meh*.
But *meh* doesn’t cut it when you’re looking at art that’s supposed to emulate real life, or else it immediatly looks fake. Four hours later, here’s the blend I came up with:
“Double Trouble”
Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm 2.8
[ISO 50 ~ 17mm ~ f/11 ~ 8s + Moon/Sky Replacement]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
And I’m pretty damn proud of it. The mood/clouds were taken from Steptoe Butte a week or so ago, and they added a fantasic level of simplity to the sky. I was excited to use these in some type of sky replacement, and finally got the chance here. The hardest part was transitioning the mountain into the sky in a smooth way. I kept running across all types of banding and halo issues, but worked through them.
Whew! One step closer to Photoshop mastery. Someone edit a better shot of Mrytle(!) Falls right now, I dare you.
Intricate ExploreI’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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