482 - Pulhapanzak Waterfalls
Today I tested a new theory in the field- at one of the most elegantly massive waterfalls in all of Honduras. Can waterfalls do that? Be as fragile as a leaf in a freezer, yet simultaneously a destroyer of worlds? Why yes, they can.
It all started after our journey to Cascada Blanca in Nicaragua. My mood for waterfalls was thrust into the stratosphere after seeing my results, and I was hungry for more. Most likely because we hadn’t shot waterfalls in months now- almost since Mexico.
Since we were officially on our way back to the US now (our money was starting to scratch the surface in our bank accounts,) we had to cut back into Honduras. Thus, we Googled our little hearts out to find today’s adventure.
It came relatively easily. Honduras is especially known for its upper islands and world-class diving, but there aren’t many popular landscapes on the mainland to shoot. Namely because it’s got such a reputation for danger, that few tourists ever venture into this country. Let alone those with expensive camera gear. However, since we were only planning on spending 2-3 days there on the way back, we immediately targeted one of its few (publicly listed) landscapes.
And it just so happened to be a waterfall, right off the highway we were going down. The waterfall gods had spoken.
It was a little tricky to find though, I’m not going to lie. We followed the directions into a small village where we had to ask locals for directions. They kindly pointed us the right way. +1 point for Honduras.
Once we arrived, I immediately noted the smell of fermenting coffee beans and cow dung. Our new campsite for the night. The place reminded me vaguely of Agua Azules in Mexico. Lucky for me, there wasn’t any hike involved to get to the waterfall, which we could hear from our parking spot.
I probably should tell you the name of the place, eh? It was called Pulhapanzak Waterfalls, and it was listed in English on Google Maps for some reason. Perhaps in an effort to draw any tourist here they possibly could through this country’s nasty reputation. The waterfall, however, was a gentle giant. Its vegetation was light and fluffy, but its water was a cold force to be reckoned with.
My goal for this waterfall was to test a new theory. I call it “The One and Done Shot” The technique entailed finding one angle/scene, and putting all my energy into making it a perfect shot through in-depth tweaking. The idea was to spend more time honing a specific composition, instead of shooting many “subpar” compositions.
Would this be beneficial to my photography, or hurt it? Would spending all my time on one specific angle increase my chances of success? Or is my eye good enough that taking many different angles in rapid succession increases my chances of leaving with a good shot?
Well folks, today was the time to find out. Here’s “the” shot I got:
“Fern Regards”
Taken on Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 50 ~ 17mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/3s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
As you can see, I spent a lot of time ensuring the foreground composition was perfect. The main foreground plant was the left fern leaf, which stood out in color due to its yellow tones. The next plant in the “eye path” was the grass sticking up in the middle right. Finally, The eyes would settle softly on the waterfall in the backdrop, with its various streams. The very front foreground of dirt acted as a framing device for the plants.
While editing that shot I added a light source in the top right corner to add drama, and also dodged some mist at the bottom of the waterfall to add some more atmosphere. (To dodge mist in, simply create a new layer, change it to soft light blend mode, select a white brush, drop it to 5-10% opacity and 30% flow, then slowly brush in.)
To be quite honest, I’m not sure if staying in one spot made any difference in the “beauty” of the shot. One thing’s for sure- it was significantly more boring to stand in one spot and let my inner OCD spill out into the image instead of running around. However it was helpful in the edit process, because I had less decisions to make.
At the end of the day, I think I prefer my “run and gun” method better. AKA take a quick shot then move on to a new scene/angle. I wholeheartedly believe there is something in the first composition I line up whenever I move to a new scene/angle. By spending too much time tweaking one angle, I often take away my original vision- and it can even turn into a completely different shot by the end of it.
What I’m trying to say here is that I prefer to trust my gut with a lined up shot, instead of analyzing it and tweaking it too much. Then I increase my chances of getting a good shot by switching up the angle/scene and shooting another “gut shot.” The tweaking/analyzing period comes during editing, when timing the light isn’t an issue.
Obviously, this method isn’t for everyone. I’m effectively trying to maximize my chances for leaving with a solid shot, but it requires a more involved field strategy. High experimentation, fast decisions, and complex muscle memory to perform technical composites is key.
If you’re into photography for the lah-dee-dah of enjoying the scene, this method probably isn’t for you. Perhaps as I age and have less energy to run around, I’ll slip into today’s tested technique more often, but for now I don’t believe it is the answer to leaving with a more solid shot. Shooting lots of angles rapidly is.
Of course, this technique may only be good for those who have developed an “eye” for photography over years of practice. Perhaps a young photographer might benefit from today’s technique until the skill is honed?
Goddamn there’s so many angles to this. (Ironically.)
Alright.. This was a pretty philosophical post guys, so let’s end with a joke Haley and I came up.
A bird walks into a brothel. He says “I’d like a bird with nice parrot titties.” The madam rolls her eyes. He exclaims, “You know, like a bird with toucans.” Again, the madam groans and looks away. He says “oh come on… how about just want one that can swallow.” Finally, the madam looks him up and down and says “You know what? You’re a real crane in the ass. But if you got the money, I gotta chick for you.”
I’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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