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Writer's pictureMichael Rung

Stunning Spring Colors with Arkansas Waterfalls

Revisiting a stunning set of falls that I first photographed in 2019


If you've seen my previous photos and videos from Arkansas, you've probably already noticed the stunning color of the water in the pools below waterfalls. Although photographing in stronger, direct light can be a challenge, it also helps emphasize those colors as the light refracts through the water.

 

The waterfall featured in this week's episode, Falling Water Falls, is a prime example of that.


Falling Water Falls in Arkansas
I really struggled to compose a frame from this vantage point, as you'll see in the companion video, but am beyond happy with the final result.

Before getting to the photos that showcase the stunning colors of the water, I started out composing further back from the main falls. Unlike my visit in 2019, I had fairly strong sunlight on the falls and streaming through the trees (as opposed to overcast skies and intermittent rain), which provided opportunities to capture dappled light on the scene.

 

On the downside, there was quite a lot of deadfall caught up in the rocks and boulders below the falls. Initially, I didn't expect to be able to recreate a lush, spring version of Split Personality, one of the photos I made here in 2019, but with a little more thought I was able to come away with a variation of it that works very well.


Falling Water Falls in Arkansas under stormy skies
Split Personality, 2019 (very different conditions!)
Beautiful spring colors at Falling Water Falls in Arkansas
In post, I decided on a 1x2 crop to provide better balance to the frame, removing some less compelling aspects on the bottom and left side of the uncropped composition. The aforementioned deadfall is in a fairly prominent location, but I feel I was able to keep it from becoming a distraction.

As the morning wore on, more and more people began showing up at the falls (they're located right off the road; easy access begets higher traffic). Foregoing any more video after I made the photo shown above, I quickly set up my camera far to the right side of the pool below the falls to make the most of the brilliantly hued water.

 

Some sunbathers were in the upper right of the frame but, thanks to Lightroom's new Generative Remove tool, I was able to easily "restore" the scene with just a few clicks, and without any changes that misrepresented the location or my experience.


Beautiful green foliage mimicking the green and turquois water below Falling Water Falls in Arkansas
The direct light worked perfectly for this composition... a likely early frontrunner for inclusion in my next folio!

Once I had the above photo in the bag, I packed up and headed to my next destination, which will be featured in the fourth and final episode of this Arkansas series. Catch a sneak peek at the location in this week's video!



Join Me Behind the Scenes

 

I'm exceedingly happy with what I was able to produce at this location, and I think you'll really enjoy the companion video as I explain the challenges I faced and my thoughts on how to address them as I worked (usually balanced on top of boulders).



If you enjoy these looks behind-the-scenes of my photography, you can catch up on all my in-field videos here.


 

Michael Rung

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