Secrets Of The North Fork
Gluteus Mash aka Kennedy Falls
North Fork Blackwater River
Blackwater Canyon Trail
Monongahela National Forest
West Virginia
5 Image HDR
I had forgotten about this image as I have worked on it several times over the last 8 months since I took it. I had recently remembered it as I decided to edit an image that I had taken at Elakala Falls, that oddly, I had already posted on Flickr months ago. Interestingly I liked my re-edit better than my first one, so when I saw these images I had to give it a whirl again. This photograph I could never get the light right, the tint was way off and the contrast was non-existant but now that I've got a stronger understanding of editing skills I finally feel I can present this image of this gorgeous falls as it was seen.
Titled "Gluteus Mash" by kayakers the off trail hike to this approximately 35 ft. falls is a bit strenuous and challenging involving a scramble to approach the falls to achieve views from below. It's an odd, but also a really cool feeling to find out I am one of a small handful of known photographers (5) to ever photograph this falls. Friend and fellow waterfall photographer Randy Sanger, who guided Jason and I to this falls, had previously visited this falls once before. Randy had discovered this falls thanks to waterfall photographer Ed Rehbein who was told about this hidden jem by some kayakers. This is also the falls that our friend Jason did the splits on the slippery rocks, ripping his hamstring in half and then had to do the scramble up the steep canyon wall with limited leg mobility. He was a trooper.
The interesting color of the rocks in the riverbed was created by an acid wash when the waste water from a abandoned upstream acid mine drained into the river and the resulting corrective measures to treat it discolored them. The event, which happened approximately 10 years ago, killed all the wildlife that resided in the river. Only recently have wildlife returned, but only to drink the water, for now the river is still dead.
Secrets Of The North Fork
Gluteus Mash aka Kennedy Falls
North Fork Blackwater River
Blackwater Canyon Trail
Monongahela National Forest
West Virginia
5 Image HDR
I had forgotten about this image as I have worked on it several times over the last 8 months since I took it. I had recently remembered it as I decided to edit an image that I had taken at Elakala Falls, that oddly, I had already posted on Flickr months ago. Interestingly I liked my re-edit better than my first one, so when I saw these images I had to give it a whirl again. This photograph I could never get the light right, the tint was way off and the contrast was non-existant but now that I've got a stronger understanding of editing skills I finally feel I can present this image of this gorgeous falls as it was seen.
Titled "Gluteus Mash" by kayakers the off trail hike to this approximately 35 ft. falls is a bit strenuous and challenging involving a scramble to approach the falls to achieve views from below. It's an odd, but also a really cool feeling to find out I am one of a small handful of known photographers (5) to ever photograph this falls. Friend and fellow waterfall photographer Randy Sanger, who guided Jason and I to this falls, had previously visited this falls once before. Randy had discovered this falls thanks to waterfall photographer Ed Rehbein who was told about this hidden jem by some kayakers. This is also the falls that our friend Jason did the splits on the slippery rocks, ripping his hamstring in half and then had to do the scramble up the steep canyon wall with limited leg mobility. He was a trooper.
The interesting color of the rocks in the riverbed was created by an acid wash when the waste water from a abandoned upstream acid mine drained into the river and the resulting corrective measures to treat it discolored them. The event, which happened approximately 10 years ago, killed all the wildlife that resided in the river. Only recently have wildlife returned, but only to drink the water, for now the river is still dead.