Late Afternoon, Great Falls of the Potomac
(Technical: Nikon D800E on tripod with 24-70mm f/2.8 lens extended to 24 mm; Exposure 1/160th sec. @ f/16, ISO 400)
As some readers know, I will be leaving in a few weeks for my first trip to Antarctica and I have been obsessing about my preparations for the journey. I even wrote about it in a guest post on Leanne Cole ‘s blog last month. (it can be found here.)
The Washington area was treated to a nice little snow storm yesterday and some pretty cold temperatures (for us) today so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to practice with my new gear in real-life conditions. (The temperature was 20 degrees and the wind chill was about 5 degrees with the nice stiff breeze)
The image above shows the Great Falls of the Potomac River, a truly wild river scene that is only about 15 miles from Washington, DC and only 3 miles from my home. For those not familiar with this location, it was photographed from Overlook 3 in Great Falls Park which is managed by the National Park Service. The waterfalls in the center have a drop of about 20-25 feet. The left bank is the state of Virginia and the right side is the state of Maryland.
The practice session was worthwhile. I was able to test the cold weather effectiveness of some clothing, as well as finding some better ways to manipulate the camera gear in these conditions. The advice I had received from a number of readers of the blog post mentioned above proved to be very helpful. As always, I’d be most interested in any comments from readers who have been to Antarctica or have experience in shooting in cold weather.
photographybykent 
Beautiful shot, Robin. Congratulations on capturing that burst of sunlight. Hope you didn’t have to wait too long for it. I know it was cold out there. –Greg
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Thanks, Greg. Mother Nature was kind to me. The light was there when I arrived, stayed long enough for about 10 shots, then faded. I waited another 20-30 minutes until the sun was behind the tree line and then headed back to the car.
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Glad you got a chance to work out some of the kinks close to home. You managed to capture a lovely, moody image. It feels like Antarctica here this morning. It is -5 with a wind chill of -20. Brrrr. Have a great trip!
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Yikes! I guess we can’t whine about the temps here. We are still in plus territory at least. But the practice is helpful and it’s always good to get outside when possible.
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Ha! You’re probably the only Northern Virginian who welcomed the brutally cold weather, Robin 🙂 But smart thinking on your part about trying out your gear and your techniques. And this shot is just beautiful, so clearly you’re going to do wonderfully in Antarctica!
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Thanks, Stacy. I surely hope so. You’re right that tit was lonely out there. Only saw two hikers wandering in the “stay out, danger” zone.
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Really beautiful. It has such a powerful nature feel to me and the light is amazing! That lens of yours will be my next one. Maybe next xmas! 🙂
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Thanks very much, Laura. That lens has really made a difference for me.
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I know what you mean…the 14-24 plus my D750…my images have definitely improved (I think lol). I’ll have to suffer with the 24-120 f/4 until next year.
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I’ve heard good things about the 750. A 24-120 does have the advantage of greater versatility but I don’t have personal experience with that one. I think I hear Santa making notes already;-)
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I look forward to seeing your photos of Antarctica. I am sure it will be an incredible trip.
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Thanks! Even though I’ve spoken with a number of folks who have been there, it sounds like every trip is different. I am certainly looking forward to it.
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Antarctica? ! Wow! Have a great trip! Can’t wait to see your posts and pics!
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Beautiful. Brings back memories. Safe travels!
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That’s right, very close to your place some years ago. Not much has changed at the park, but things look different in the surrounding area. Good to hear from you.
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Gorgeous! It looks like there is quite a lot to see in that area, not only the city itself, but the beauty of nature that lingers not too far away. Beautiful shot!
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Thanks, Molly. Good to hear your thoughts. Yes, Great Falls Park is very cool and has a lot going for it. It’s an easy drive from downtown DC. In addition, there is another park on the other side of the river that also has an overlook, although not as spectacular a view. However, the focus of that park is the C&O canal which was built in the 19th century and enabled mule-drawn barge traffic to carry goods from Cumberland, Maryland to/from Washington, DC (a distance of 186 miles). The canal towpath still runs the full length of the system and many of the lifting locks are still in place.
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Love all the shapes and movement but most of all that light dusting of snow 🙂
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Thanks very much, Sarah. It was a really nice snowfall. Very light and dry; about 4 inches–enough to provide coverage, but not so much that it overwhelmed the scene.
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Yes, all the wonderful colours in the trees, vegetation and rocks still come through 🙂
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