Great Falls Park

2017 Great Falls Face: Slalom Event /  by Todd Henson

In a previous post I showed some of the amazing facial expressions on the athletes as they competed in the 2017 Great Falls Race, part of the Potomac River Festival, held at Great Falls on the Potomac River just outside Washington, D.C. This time around we’ll look at the slalom event, where kayakers and canoeists have to maneuver around hanging gates while moving downriver through rapids and over large falls.

The Slalom Course

Layout of the slalom course, part of the 2017 Great Falls Race.

I’ve included a photograph that shows the course of the slalom event. The pink line is the general path most folks took downriver. The red ovals are the gates. These are poles hanging from ropes strung across the river. The athletes have to maneuver around these gates in specific ways before heading further downriver, or they receive penalties. The race is scored based on how fast they make it from start to finish, along with any penalties they accumulate for missing or hitting gates.

The racers begin in the calmer water just above U-Hole. Click on the image for a better view and you might see a blue kayak up there waiting for his run. They drop into U-Hole and around the first gate before moving into S-Turn.

There are many ways to approach S-Turn. Some approach straight on from the gate hugging closely to the right side of the bank then angling into the turn. Others move more towards the left bank and turn before hitting the rapid, then rush straight through the rapids.

After S-Turn they need to turn their boat to get around the next gate, and from there quickly begin moving towards The Crack. Finally, after the large plunge from The Crack they need to recover and make it around the final gate. It’s easy to see their path on the photo, but it’s not nearly so easy for them to actually do it, as you’ll see in some of the images below.

Trouble Along the Way

This isn’t an easy race and sometimes racers run into trouble along the way.

Tad Dennis (bib 12) hit the middle gate after making it past S-Turn. He was canoeing instead of kayaking for this race. Notice he uses a single-sided paddle versus the double-sided paddle used by the kayakers.

Tad Dennis hits the middle slalom gate.

Here is a sequence of images showing a rough spot in the race for Jordan Poffenberger (bib 10). He was moving through S-Turn when the water flipped his kayak. But he recovered quickly and continued the race. This entire sequence covers no more than 4 seconds. This is fast moving water.

Running the Course

Here is a short sequence of images showing Geoff Calhoun (bib 1) beginning his slalom run by dropping over U-Hole, around the first gate, then angling towards S-Turn. Notice all the people on the rocks along the river, some tethered to the rocks, watching and ready to provide or call in assistance if there are any major problems.

Geoff Calhoun dropping into U-Hole during the slalom event.

Geoff Calhoun eyeing the slalom gate after dropping through U-Hole.

Geoff Calhoun moves around the first gate during the slalom event.

After the first gate Geoff Calhoun moves into S-Turn during the slalom event.

And now a sequence showing Jason Beakes (bib 5) going through S-Turn and angling towards the 2nd gate. His eyes lock on the gate just as soon as he surfaces from S-Turn. He still has to maneuver out of the flow from S-Turn and head towards the gate, but he is immediately focused on that gate.

Jason Beakes dropping into S-Turn during the slalom event.

During the slalom event Jason Beakes almost disappears behind the wild water in S-Turn. The 2nd slalom gate can be seen at the bottom.

Being propelled out of S-Turn, Jason Beakes' eyes lock onto the next slalom gate.

Before Jason Beakes can reach the next slalom gate he needs to maneuver himself out of the strong current from S-Turn.

After moving past the middle gate Jason heads straight for and over The Crack. He has a very deliberate and controlled descent, never losing control of his kayak. And even though he comes over The Crack at an angle, when he touches down he immediately angles himself around the final gate. Jason Beakes had the fastest run through the slalom and finished it with no penalties.

Jason Beakes enters The Crack during the slalom event.

There's not much room to maneuver in The Crack as Jason Beakes runs the slalom event.

Jason Beakes, exiting the tight confines of The Crack.

I love this image of Jason Beakes holding his paddle ready as he flies over The Crack.

Approaching the bottom at an angle, Jason Beakes prepares himself for the final slalom gate.

Jason Beakes almost disappears when he hits the bottom of The Crack. The slalom gate is now in view to the right.

Jason Beakes moves around the final slalom gate, finishing with the fastest time in this leg of the race.

Favorite Image

My favorite image of the slalom event was Tyler Uthus flying past the final gate after having flown over The Crack.

Tyler Uthus flying past the final slalom gate.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

2017 Great Falls Race: Facial Expressions /  by Todd Henson

You can watch and capture some great facial expressions at whitewater sports events.

I was fortunate to watch the 2017 Great Falls Race, part of the Potomac River Festival, where kayakers and canoeists arrive from all over to run the rapids of Great Falls on the Potomac River. The Potomac separates Virginia from Maryland and flows by Washington, D.C. not too far south of Great Falls.

The Great Falls portion of the Potomac has multiple Class V+ rapids that can be run along 3 major lines: the Virginia Lines, the Center Lines, and the Maryland Lines. They choose which line to race based on the water level of the river. For the 2017 Great Falls Race they ran the Virginia lines. This was my first time watching them run this set of rapids, and it was absolutely fantastic!

One of the things I really enjoy when photographing whitewater sports is capturing amazing facial expressions on the athletes. You can see such a range of emotions and expressions as they navigate some of the very challenging rapids. So the photographs I chose for this post exhibit some of that range of expression.

The Course

The different lines and some of the falls at Great Falls on the Potomac River, just outside Washington, D.C. Click the image for a larger view.

To set the stage, here is a photograph of Great Falls taken from the first observation platform on the Virginia side in Great Falls National Park. You can see the 3 lines, with the Virginia lines on the left side, the Maryland lines on the right, and of course, the Center lines in the center.

For 2017 they ran the Virginia Line. The overall event consisted of 2 race types. The first was a slalom that started through U-Hole, down S-Turn, then over The Crack to the finish line. You can’t really see the hanging slalom markers too clearly in this wide angle photo, but they ran rope across the river and hung poles to mark the slalom gates.

The second event is the Classic downriver race, which is all about speed. This race had a similar course to the slalom but they ran over The Spout instead of The Crack. The Crack takes more time to navigate because it’s so narrow, but they could really fly over The Spout.

Take a quick look at the rock between the Virginia and Center lines. You’ll see a couple kayaks laying on the rocks, and further up some people and more kayaks. This is what the athletes have to climb, with their boat, before they can make their next run. This is not just about going downriver in a kayak or canoe, it’s about climbing out of the boat, hauling it onto your back, and carefully climbing these rocks, hiking back upriver to above U-Hole, so they can run the next part of the event or just make a run for fun. They burn some serious calories out there.

Now on to the athletes and their awesome expressions. For each athlete there’s both the full-size image and a heavily cropped image where I zoom in to better show the expression. Click on any image for a larger view.

These athletes are incredible!

Jules Krinsky (Bib 42)

Jules Krinsky Kayaking The Fingers at Great Falls

Before the competition even began Jules Krinsky ran the Center Lines. This image shows him dropping over one of The Fingers. The observation platform where I was viewing does not have completely unobscured views of the Center Lines, but I still liked this framed view.

Closeup of Jules Krinsky Kayaking The Fingers at Great Falls

Tad Dennis (Bib 12)

Tad Dennis Running The Crack at Great Falls

Here is Tad Dennis running his canoe over The Crack during the slalom event. Notice he uses a single-bladed paddle for the canoe, whereas kayakers use a double-bladed paddle.

Closeup of Tad Dennis Running The Crack at Great Falls

Taylor Pittman (Bib 23)

Taylor Pittman Kayaking The Crack at Great Falls

Taylor Pittman has a great expression here as he maneuvers his kayak over The Crack during the slalom event.

Closeup of Taylor Pittman Kayaking The Crack at Great Falls

Eric Orenstein (Bib 32)

Eric Orenstein Kayaks Towards The Crack at Great Falls

Look at the focus Eric Orenstein has on the opening of The Crack during the slalom event. 

Closeup of Eric Orenstein as he Kayaks Towards The Crack at Great Falls

Ian Wingert (Bib 6)

Ian Wingert Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Ian Wingert works hard controlling his descent over The Spout during the Classic run of the Great Falls Race.

Closeup of Ian Wingert Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Scott Parsons (Bib 29)

Scott Parsons Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Scott Parsons has a great expression as he works his way into the wild water of The Spout during the Classic run.

Closeup of Scott Parsons Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Jake Trotter (Bib 34)

Jake Trotter Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Jake Trotter raises his paddle as he goes over The Spout during the Classic run. Notice the different angles everyone takes, some leaning more one way, some the other way.

Closeup of Jake Trotter Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Rhys Jensen-Jones (Bib 36)

Rhys Jensen-Jones Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

I love this image of Rhys Jensen-Jones flying over The Spout during the Classic run. This photo does a good job showing the size difference between the short and long kayaks.

Closeup of Rhys Jensen-Jones Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Alex Markoff (Bib 41)

Alex Markoff Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

I love the water kicked up by Alex Markoff as he moves over The Spout during the Classic run, his kayak almost completely below the surface of the water.

Closeup of Alex Markoff Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Pat Keller (Bib 3)

Pat Keller Enters the S-Turn at Great Falls

Here’s a great expression from Pat Keller as he fights his way into the S-Turn during the Classic run.

Pat Keller Enters the S-Turn at Great Falls

Collin Swan (Bib 16)

Collin Swan Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

And here we see Collin Swan out of his bib after the race has ended. He’s flying over The Spout, getting in one more run before he leaves the river. Never stop photographing just because the official event has ended. These folks love running these falls so they will often go over them again before leaving.

Collin Swan Kayaking The Spout at Great Falls

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Prelude to Rafting - The Story Behind the Image /  by Todd Henson

Prelude to Rafting. Great Falls Park, Virginia.

The Story

I love Great Falls Park, a national park located in northern Virginia along the Potomac River. Who would think such a beautiful and wild location would be located just outside Washington, D.C.? Just across the river is the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, which also gives some great views of the falls and the river.

I was on the Virginia side when creating this particular photograph. I had arrived to the park just before sunrise, both because it’s far less crowded this time of day, and because it’s such a great time to photograph. Not only do you have great light, but you also don’t need to worry as much about blowing out highlights in the waterfalls, which is very easy to do if you wait until the sun is high in the sky on a cloudless day.

This photograph was created from the overlook just south of Fisherman’s Eddy. It provides a nice view of the falls, and also looks down on the rocks below, where you will sometimes see people fishing, rafting or kayaking.

The rafts were not in the scene when I first began photographing. I was focusing on the falls and the scenery. This is a beautiful landscape I never tire of. But then a rafting crew brought their blue rafts to the edge of the water and began setting up for a trip downriver. I realized there might be a story here, so I started focusing on the rafts, integrating them into the photograph. The rafting crew left the rafts and went back up the hill to bring down the rest of their gear. I liked the idea of these empty rafts sitting by the river. I thought it added that slight bit of tension, anticipation, or longing. Empty rafts so close to the water, waiting for people to take them out. Of course, this led to the title of the photograph, Prelude to Rafting.

During one specific exposure, the one that would result in the final image, the sun peaked out from behind a cloud and, like a spotlight, illuminated the rafts, rock face, and part of the river with a beautiful warm glow. I was so pleased this happened just as I started an exposure. It didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough. I was very happy with the exposure. None of the others had quite the drama as this one. Light is everything in photography.

I had arrived on the scene around 6:54 AM, and created my favorite exposure at 8:06 AM. I continued photographing until after 10 AM, but none of the other photos came close to this one. But even when I think I have a great image, I almost always continue photographing. You just never know what might happen. Perhaps the light will surprise you. Maybe something or someone will move into a position that makes a better image. And it’s hard to leave these sorts of beautiful locations.

The Technique

My plan that morning was to create some long exposure images that would blur the movement of the water and turn the scene into something we can’t see in reality. I did this with my Singh-Ray Mor-Slow 10-Stop Neutral Density filter. Think of a neutral density filter as sunglasses for the camera lens, blocking some light from entering the lens. In the case of this filter it blocks 10 stops of light.

I was also experimenting with my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer, a great creative filter that lets you play with color in the scene. I don’t use this filter all that often, but it’s a lot of fun to work with and can help create some really striking images. It’s just like a normal polarizer in that you turn the filter to adjust the polarization effect. The difference is that as you turn the filter it also affects the blues and golds in the scene. This can provide a very subtle effect that enhances the natural colors in a scene, or it can radically alter the colors and create very unnatural looking images. And like all polarizers, it also blocks some light from entering the lens, which allowed me to use even slower shutter speeds.

Because I was working on long exposures having the people around the rafts didn’t do much for the photos. They turned into blurred streaks, which can be nice in some images, but just didn’t seem to fit in this one. So I waited until the people went back uphill and out of the scene. Then I started really experimenting with the Gold-N-Blue polarizer, turning it a little at a time, creating exposures as I went. Each exposure was a little over a minute in length due to the 10-stop neutral density filter and the polarizer.

Two pieces of gear are necessary, or at least highly recommended, when creating long exposure images:

  • Tripod

  • Remote shutter release

I had the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod to keep it steady and prevent blur caused by camera movement. There’s just no way I could hold the camera steady for over a minute without a tripod. I used a remote shutter release instead of pressing the shutter release button on the camera. This helps reduce the chance of moving the camera when pushing the shutter button. Once you press the shutter release be careful not to touch the camera, lens, or tripod during the exposure. If you do accidentally touch anything you may get a blurry image.

The Processing

Before processing images comes the editing phase. This is where you go through all the photos from the day and decide which are worth further work. This can be a difficult process, but in this case it was pretty easy. I was most interested in the one long exposure that had caught that beautiful spotlight of sunshine.

I’ve pulled out a few other photographs for this post to show the different versions of the scene. The first image is an unprocessed raw file without any filters. It gives a more accurate representation of the colors in the scene that day, though being a raw file it is lacking in contrast and punch.

Unprocessed raw image without any filters on the lens.

In the next photograph I’ve put on the 10-stop neutral density (ND) filter, which blocks light from entering the lens. This allows me to slow the shutter speed down significantly. I also put on the Gold-N-Blue polarizer to affect the colors, but this filter also blocks out a couple more stops of light, allowing an even longer exposure. By way of example, the version without any filters had a shutter speed of 1/80 second, whereas the versions with the filters had shutter speeds of between 60 - 90 seconds.

Unprocessed raw image with 10-stop ND filter and Gold-N-Blue polarizer (more toward the gold side).

You can see the effects of the ray of sunlight in the next photograph, which is the unprocessed raw version of the final image. I still have both filters on the lens. I have adjusted the Gold-N-Blue polarizer, which changes the color balance in the image. You can see this most easily in the color of the water. In the previous image the water had a more gold tone, almost muddy, whereas in this image it has a bluer tone.

Unprocessed raw image with both filters (Gold-N-Blue more towards the blue side) and a little help from the sun.

The final photograph is the processed image. I applied lens corrections, which undo some of the warp caused by the wide angle lens. I adjusted the color balance to keep the highlights of the water as white as possible. I adjusted whites and blacks and the tone curve to provide some contrast. I dodged and burned (lightened and darkened) some select areas to help draw the eye through the scene.

The final processed image. Includes use of 10-stop ND filter and Gold-N-Blue polarizing filter on the lens, the sun peaking through the clouds, and post-processing in Adobe Lightroom.

I also cloned out a few distractions. If you compare the images you’ll see I removed a small patch of leaves in the bottom center, a small rock extending into the lower right, and a tiny patch of brown leaves in the upper right that I found distracting. As I’ve discussed in the past, I would not have done these things if this was intended to be a documentary photograph, but I’m ok making these kinds of tweaks when creating a more artistic representation of what I saw. I want to keep the core reality of the scene, but add in the wonder and excitement I felt that day.

Click on the images below to step through each version of the photograph. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you would have done anything differently.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!