Waterfalls in the Ozark National Forest of Arkansas

Here are some waterfalls I photographed a few weeks ago. The light wasn't best for waterfall photography. Overcast days are ideal because they minimize the contrast of light shining through the trees. But... after you've driven a couple of hours to reach your destination and hiked down a very muddy trail for 20 minutes, you take what you can get.

When I arrived the trees had not budded out as much as I expected. Actually, not at all in most places, like in the shot below. This shot is actually quite horrible in color, but in black and white it works fairly well. I wouldn't call it spectacular, but it's decent.

Whenever you are doing waterfall photography it's essential to use a tripod in order to get a nice blur to the water and create that smooth, flowing effect. The shot below was a half-second exposure but the wind joined the party and created a nice abstract effect to the leaves. I doubt this image will ever be published anywhere but here (it's too wild and crazy for most publications), but I've learned over the years that you can never tell which pictures editors will pick. I think it's neat though.
This is a more traditional waterfall shot. All of these falls are unnamed as far as I know. I also took a shot like the one below where I put myself in the picture wearing a bright shirt. This makes the work I put into framing the shot (and hiking down and back up a very STEEP hill) pay off twice. Some publishers will want a person in the shot as a "get out and have an adventure pic" and some will need a straight nature/wilderness shot.

These images are Copyright Terry Smith, 2008. All Rights Reserved.