Every autumn, New Jersey photographers flock to Sussex County NJ and across the Delaware Rive into Pike County Pennsylvania via Dingmans Ferry Bridge to capture the rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. Located 18 miles northwest of the bridge in Shohola Township is the beautiful Shohola Falls. It is located on Brooks Road off Route 6 next to Shohola Lake. Ample parking is available, and the falls can be easily accessed via a short walk down a primitive stairway and trail.
Photographing waterfalls is best done on a cloudy or overcast day. The low light is ideal for the slower shutter speeds needed to capture moving water. When I arrived in the afternoon, I walked around with my camera in hand and took a few test shots, looking for the compositions I would work later. Once I identified a few shooting positions, I set up my tripod and attached my NiSi circular polarizing filter, which helps reduce the glare on the wet rocks. I began by adjusting my shutter speed to determine the best setting that gives the water a smooth look of motion while maintaining some level of detail. The bright grey sky, which appeared a short distance above the top of the waterfall, was distracting so I tried to frame my shots to eliminate the sky from the composition.
I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area on both sides of the Delaware River. The fall colors were near peak, and I came home with a few images that past my initial edit. Working in Adobe Photoshop CC and the Nik Collection by DXO Labs, I was able to fine tune the RAW image to get the results you see here.