498 - Busby Falls
Today’s adventure starts with a little bit of a bang. Or should a big bang… There were intoxicated people involved.
It all started at a little shopping start in the sleepy town of Belle Meade, Tennessee. I was all cozied up for bed in the back of my Prius. BBC’s “The Hunt” was playing on my laptop, which is basically a more mature version of Planet Earth. (Highly recommend.)
Then out of nowhere I hear yelling from the small Mexican joint across the street. It was a Thursday night so I didn’t pay much attention, probably just some friends who had one to many jalapeno margaritas. I turned back to my laptop which was showing a chameleon absolutely fucking up a grasshopper.
Then I heard the yelling again.
I looked outside and saw two people comforting each other. Then suddenly one dude gets in his Durango, backs up, then tries to drive into the other guy. I’m not kidding. The dude jumped out of the way, barely escaping the SUV which proceeded to drive up into the grass from the out of control momentum.
Jesus Christ. Now I was interested.
I got out my phone just in the nick of time to see the other dude get in his truck and try to drive away. The other (aggressive) man now proceeds to smash into the back of his truck as he drives away, then crashes his Durango into a median. And I got it all on video.
Absolutely insane. 20 minutes later the dude was in handcuffs because the dude in the truck obviously called the police. My footage is probably going to be used in court now.
Anyway, that’s how my night went. Never a dull moment when you’re car camping in the South.
So I figured I’d take the edge off by shooting some more waterfalls. Today I decided on Busby Falls, which is only an hour or so south of Nashville.. If you checked out my adventure at Machine Falls, this place is right next to it. Literally- it’s about 1/2 a mile down the trail. If you’re ever in the area, combine them into one trip!
And this waterfall did not disappoint. It was like a mossy fairy tale straight out of the Grimm Brothers. However, it did take me a minute to get calibrated to the scene.
The hardest part was trying to find an angle where I wasn’t getting an intense reflection in the water. If there’s too much brightness in the water, it’ll steal all the eye’s attention from the actual subject- the water falling.
Now, I realize a polarizer filter is supposed to help with cutting out glare, but I don’t have one because it never seems to do much for me. Personally, I think they’re a scam. Plus I’d rather shoot with less glass in front of my lens if possible.
Therefore I spent the next 30 minutes slowly circling around the waterfall until I found an angle that looked suitable without reflection. It probably would have taken me 10 minutes in theory, but my broken foot from months ago started hurting again so I’m back in the boot. Therefore I was climbing all over slippery rocks and logs with a fucking plastic, rounded bottom.
I had to be extra careful to not slip and fall. I’m not trying to break my arm too.
ANYHOO- here’s the shot I landed on, which I’m extremely proud of:
“Woodland Fives”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 64 ~ 17mm ~ f/14 ~ 0.6s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
Fuckkkkkkkk that shit’s sexy. The color scheme I was going for in this was a blend between green and blue. Notice how if you were to divide the photo in half diagonally, it’d be a transition between those two colors. One thing I’m trying to focus on is my colors. Keeping the scheme down to 2-3 colors tops can help simplify a photo significantly. I’m definitely guilty of going overboard with too many colors sometimes.
Next photo I got on the way out of a smaller waterfall upstream. I was surprised how big the river looked in comparison to the small falls in the back. And just look at all those leaves:
“Wide Mouth”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 64 ~ 21mm ~ f/14 ~ 2.5s]
(Want a Print? Get it here.)
Goddamn. Who knew Tennessee. Who knew. Oh, I almost forgot! I’ve been meaning to bring up this tip forever, but haven’t found an appropriate spot yet.
After I edit a photo, I like to look at it in its thumbnail form. By this I mean I like examining the composition when it’s super small. If I can still pick out what’s happening, this means it’s a good shot. If I can’t tell from the small shot, it most likely means it’s too complicated. SIMPLIFY SIMPLIFY SIMPLIFY.
Anyway, that’s today’s shoot folks. Nothing makes a good story like the juxtaposition of a drunk car crash and a peaceful fairy land.
STAY TUNED. On the next adventure I go overboard.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
*Please note this page contains affiliate links.
