Powerful waterfall in Cheran river

Autumn waterfall in Chéran river - Massif des Bauges Natural Park

One more from the autumn days i spent along Chéran river.
That's obviously the vertical version of the waterfall image i've posted one month ago.

The natural light in the canyon was low enough to give a very long exposure without any filter.

Note : I've uploaded yesterday 17 new images of this place on my french website. Don't hesitate to have a look.

Long exposure along Cheran river

Along the Chéran river

Another image from a few weeks ago in the canyon of Chéran river. Done the same day than this other one.

The long exposure (around 168s) in day light is due to my Hoya ND 400 filter.

Weekly commented photo # 47 - Autumn in Cheran Canyon

Autumn in Chéran Canyon

When i went to Chéran river two weeks ago, i made an image very close to this one.
It was not the best time of the day and i was thinking too much to scout this new place so i did a little composition mistake.

Back to the office and editing the images, i looked at the file and decided to delete it and to re-make the photo with better conditions if possible.

I returned last week but it was in the early morning and this image needs to be done in the late afternoon.

So, i returned once more this afternoon. Arrived in the canyon, i ran directly to the right place and started by a few shots with normal exposures around 0.5 seconds.
Looking at my camera LCD, i found the water movements and the sky reflections unsightly and decided to make a very long exposure with my Hoya ND 400 filter. The result is the image posted above and for people interested in such details, the exposure was a little more than 200 seconds long.

After that, i walked a little along the river, did some photos of the water running between the rocks and about one hour later, i went back to my initial place under the very low light of the autumn dusk.
Without any filter, i could do two or three more images with exposures around one minute. After a close look on my computer display, i really think that my favourite is the first one done with the Hoya ND 400, just after my arrival.

Weekly commented photo # 45 - Autumn waterfall in Cheran river, Massif des Bauges Natural Park

Autumn waterfall on Chéran river

I spent yesterday afternoon in Massif des Bauges natural park scouting for some new spots along Chéran river.

I didn't want to return to the place i visited at springtime and then i went deeper and lower in the canyon.
After about one hour drive from home, i left my car at the end of a tiny rural road, crossed meadows and woods and finally found a steep slippy path going to the river bed.

Since we had no serious rain for a long time, i had a few hesitations before leaving home because i wasn't sure to find enough water for interesting photography.
Once on the place i was very happy that the water level was so low because if it would have been higher i couldn't have walk in the canyon.

So, i started to hike on the wet and mossy rocks, stopping from time to time to make some images of the river running in its lower bed.
After some times rambling once on the rocks, once in the woods i arrived to this little but powerful waterfall.

It was more than 5 pm. The light started to be very low, i had no headlamp and i knew that walking back the river bed in the darkness wouldn't be a very good idea.
So i decided to stop the exploration here. I made two photos of the waterfall, this one and a vertical one and then started to walk back to my car.

As the light became lower and lower, i was a little nervous about finding and climbing the little path i used to get down.
Fortunately, halfway i found an other one larger and more comfortable climbing through the forest and leading to the road where i left my car.

Note : I've just uploaded 22 photos of autumn around the Rhône river on my french website. Some typical landscape works and some more abstract images.
You can have a look here.

Lonely tree at blue hour in autumn

Lonely tree at blue hour

Long time readers of this blog may recognize this tree, others can click here.

The light was beautiful but a strong wind was blowing and all the leaves were blurred during the 20 seconds exposure.

Running water in Septmoncel forest - Haut Jura Natural Park

Stream running through Jura forest around Septmoncel

Another view of this little stream i discovered last week around Septmoncel in Haut Jura Natural Park (First image here).

This water running wildly in the green forest makes me think to another place i discovered two years ago around Saparelle in Corsica.

Weekly commented photo # 38 : Cascading water near Septmoncel in Haut Jura Natural Park

Cascading water in Jura forest


In july, our visit to the famous Hérisson waterfalls was shortened by the arrival of huge rains. We left the place at dawn and drove back home.
While on the mountain road between Saint Claude and Septmoncel i noticed a big waterfall on a spectacular syncline fold. The weather was really too bad and the rain too strong for a valuable photographic stop.

On wednesday, we had a beautiful autumn day and i decided to come back to this area and make images of this waterfall and geological particularity.
I arrived on the place in the end of afternoon under a beautiful light but i had two deceptions.

• The waterfall was really less impressive than under the rain.
• Access to its bottom was quite impossible.

I started to make some images from the road and finally found a kind of little path between the rock and green vegetation with which i could bring me a little closer.
My motivation was not really high because of the very few water falling from the cliff and after a few more shots i packed my gear and went back to my car with the idea to explore some other places in the area.

I stopped a little more closer to Septmoncel village where i could see from the road a stream cascading in the deep forest.
After a short trip along the stream i found this little place where i could make three or four images like this one. The light was low enough to give some long exposures (many seconds) without any filter.
After that i tried to explore the forest and stream a little more but night was falling and i rapidly came back to my car for a two hours long drive to home.
I expect to return there soon and hope the decidous trees will take their autumn colors for my come back.

Running water cascading in Fornant river

Running water cascading in Fornant river

Another one from this recent outing to Fornant river.
It was in the late evening and the long exposure (more than 1 minute) didn't need any filter.


Note : I've added yesterday 26 new images on my french website about the rural landscapes in Haute Savoie department.

One rock in the water

One mossy rock standing in the running water of Fornant river

Another closeup of the water running between the stones of Fornant river in Haute Savoie.

Same rock that the one posted here but with a different composition.

Fornant river cascading under the woods and my new photo gallery about the french forests

Fornant river cascading under the woods


I don't know where it comes from but i always had a true love for these little underwoods streams. Having one now just near my home is a real pleasure. I always like to be there in the fresh, wet and colorful atmosphere.

This image is about one year old from my first explorations of Fornant river.
It was in the late afternoon, i wanted to go to Barbennaz waterfall but i finally decided to stay here, in this little canyon surrounded by the forest.


MY NEW PHOTO GALLERY ABOUT THE FOREST :

On thursday i started to setup one new photo gallery featuring the french forests.
Of course the work is not terminated and i still have a big set of images to upload but you can ever have a look.

You will find there some typical forest scenes but also some closeups and some more abstract photographs.

Pure abstraction in Fornant river

Pure abstraction in Fornant river

Melting white water, golden stones and green moss in Fornant river with moving the camera during a few seconds exposure.

Moss, rock and running water - A closeup in Fornant river

Moss, rock and running water

Yesterday in the late afternoon, i went back to the Fornant river, just near Barbennaz waterfall.

I went there with the idea of making images of details with water running around the stones of the river bed and so did i.
I post just one here today but i've published 8 of them this morning on my french website. If you want to have a look, it starts here.

Ghost trees in Valserine forest

Ghost trees in Valserine forest

On past thursday, i spent a nice time in Valserine valley making classic forest images for my stock.
After that, the light was low enough to have a little fun with this kind of images :)

Gour Bleu in Herisson waterfalls - Long exposure with Hoya ND 400

Gour Bleu in Hérisson waterfalls

If you want to read a little more about the Hérisson range of waterfalls you can have a look at my previous post.

Gour Bleu is my fav from the 2 waterfalls i visited during these first days.
This image was done in the end of afternoon and the long exposure of 123 seconds was obtained with a very dark ND filter (Hoya ND 400).

Forest path

Forest path

It was about one week ago. I was back from shooting some rural landscapes and had to take this beautiful tunnel through the forest.
It was very late, the light was really low and without any filter, the exposure time for this image was around 3 minutes if i remember well.

Silky water in the Cheran river - The vertical one

Silky water in Cheran river

Another addition to my long exposures with Hoya ND 400 collection.

If you're an usual reader of this blog, you will surely recognize this image as the vertical version of this one.

Weekly commented photo #21 - Silky water in the Cheran river

Silky water in the Chéran river - Massif des Bauges natural park

The Chéran river is one of the main rivers of the Massif des Bauges natural park.
The river is crossed by a famous old and nice bridge : the Abîme bridge or Pont de l'Abîme in french. The bridge overhangs the Chéran canyon in a very impressive place.

I went there initially on sunday without any photographic gear, just to find a great point of view on the bridge over the canyon.
I didn't found any interesting place and decided to go down to river for a little more exploration.
The path to the river runs through a very beautiful forest which can be a very good photographic subject in itself.
When i arrived to the river, there were many fishermen on the place, doing what fishermen are supposed to do.
In that first place, the river is looking nice and it's certainly a good place for bathing or fishing but for a photographer it's not an exciting one.

So, i walked along the canyon until i was stopped by some high cliffs. Then, i climbed a little rock overhanging the river with a tiny platform on its top.
Under, the water was nicely accelerated between many rocks in the river bed.
I thought it could be a good place to start and decided to come back the next day with a camera.

On monday, i left home before 5 am, drove to the bridge and took the path to the river.
Crossing the forest in dawn light was an enchantment and i couldn't resist to a few shots.
After a little walk, i arrived to my platform and started to set up my tripod. It was not an easy thing because the platform was really small. After some time, i managed to find a correct place for the tripod legs but then, my feets could just stay on the more steep and slippy part of the rock.
I didn't felt very comfortable but it seemed i had no other choice. It was not comfortable but not too much dangerous. In fact, the worst thing was that the composition possibilities were a bit limited.

The light was still soft and low and i started by some few shots of the water running through the rocks. I also (and difficultly) took a more wider view of the valley.
After this first bunch of images, i reviewed them on the back screen of the camera and choose to scenes for making some long exposures with my Hoya ND 400 filter. The first is the one posted here and the second one is just the vertical version. For both, exposure time was a bit more than 200 seconds at iso 100. In such conditions, exposing to the right is very important and works finely : the raw files were really noise free.

Dusk colors on Annecy lake - long exposure with Hoya ND 400

Dusk on Annecy lake and Veyrier mountain

I recently found some new clients around Annecy.

On friday i had a nice meeting with one of them for prints delivery and after that i spent the end of afternoon around the lake and at the Imperial beach.
I walked a lot but just did a few images. This one was done around 8 pm and i used my Hoya NB 400 for the long exposure plus a 5 stop soft GND filter for the balance between sky and foreground.

Long exposure in day light at the Usses river - Hoya ND 400

Usses river

An autumn image from the first day of october.

The long exposure in full day light was possible thank's to my Hoya ND 400 filter.
While i was there, i also did another shot with the same composition but without any filter but the result was really less beautiful.

You can read here a few more words about this river.

Weekly commented photo #17 : Cereal field in the wind

Cereal field in the wind

On wednesday i wanted to go to the mountains of the Valserine valley to make images of the fresh green leaves inthe forest.
I left home under a cloudy and windy weather and arrived on the place about one hour later under an impressive rain. I hesitated a short time and decided to go back and continue my office work.

So one hour later i was not too far from home when i noticed a cereal field along the tiny road i was driving on.
The weather was still cloudy giving a very nice light on the landscape and the cereals were dancing in the wind.

I parked my car, walked to the field and the was a little disapointed because a high voltage power line was crossing the sky just here.
I abandoned the idea of a landscape with the field overhung by a stunning cloudy sky and decided that the day was definitely not good for photography.

I was about to walk back to my car when i had the idea to try some closeups. The wind was strong and getting a sharp image looked impossible.
After a few shots, i mounted my Hoya ND 400 filter on my lens and decided to let the wind play with the grass.
On this image, the exposure was around one minute long.