This typically quite delicate waterfall is Sgwd Gwladus, or Lady Falls, on the river Pyrddin, one of four main falls along the Elidir Trail in South Wales. The trail wanders through an area of ancient woodlands, forming part of what is known as Waterfall Country. There are many other falls on a number of other trails in this area, which is both a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The Elidir trail is one of my favourites, and this particular fall is very popular both because of its setting and because it's one of the easiest to access. Its ease of access, though, normally means there are a number of other photographers mixing with the sightseers, and getting a clear shot requires patience. On this particular day, though, the weather was varying between wet and very wet, so there was only one other person at the falls when I arrived, and they didn't stay long. All I need now, I thought, is for the rain to stop.
I found the vantage point I wanted to use and set my tripod up on the river's edge, where the water was luckily just below the top of my boots. I settled down to wait for a weather break. Eventually, after about 20 minutes, the rain stopped, and as a bonus, some weak sun broke through the clouds and gave some great highlights to the autumn colours.
I'd taken ND filters with me to allow me to achieve long exposures to capture some motion blur in the water. Still, the river was flowing so fast that all I needed was a polarizer, and I had to raise the ISO to achieve a faster shutter speed to prevent the water from becoming too creamy.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor