Divide

Divide, Niagara Falls, New York – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

Divide, Niagara Falls, New York – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

This is an unframed, limited edition collection landscape photography print of only 25 units. It is printed on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl papers, structured to refract the highest values in colour and detail. It’s high-quality ink absorbing layer enables exceptional image quality with enormously detailed sharpness, and a very broad colour range, providing archival permanency of your artwork for over 100 years.

On tripod, Canon 5DMk2, 10mm, F22, 1/5 sec, ISO 100, no filter, processed in Lightroom.

This is one of the most epic places I’ve ever visited, let alone photographed. Captured from the Canadian side of the falls, it was a fairly ordinary day, but the forecast was for late evening storms. That made me smile. I returned to the falls around 5pm and watched as the storm clouds gathered overhead and across Goat Island on the other side. I worked out that I needed an epic angle of the falls to give you a sense of sitting on the edge of the 188 foot drop. That meant my gear had to be set up, camera settings locked in and the whole thing, extended to sit out through the railing far enough for the effect. So much so, that of course I then would not be able to reach the camera to trigger the shutter. My remote had died and I didn’t expect needing it until the next day, so that ruled our remote triggers. So, I did what most photographers would do. I hung over the railing by my ankles to be able to reach the camera. With no-one around, I was at the point of no return, when my fear kicked in and I froze. All I could do was hold my breath, press 4 exposures of 10 seconds, and hope like hell, I did not slip. It was the longest 40 seconds of my life. To say I was not thinking clearly at the time would probably be accurate, but hey, look at the result. Haha (ok, maybe it’s not that funny).

Divide, Niagara Falls, New York – Steve Rutherford Landscape Photography Gallery

Sometimes extreme actions and decisions mean extreme results. Not to sound hypocritical, although I am, if I saw someone doing what I did to get this image, I would probably have shouted all kinds of obscenities to stop them, but I understand that some risks have incredible rewards. The key is to consider them first. Don’t just walk blindly into an epic photograph without regard for your safety, because you want to be tough or look as though you are “crazy cool” to your friends. Images such as Divide, require very careful planning, and often equipment to put at risk rather than yourself. How I captured this image has been narrated My tip for this one is nothing to do with the image, but rather…you. If you are going to dangle from a railing, access a very risky situation to “get the shot”, have a safety friend with you. Someone who can see what you can’t when your eyes are in the viewfinder. Always, always, stay safe first, then get the shot, if possible.