Rock Creek - "Secrets"

I photographed this small cascade several times over the five days that we were camped nearby. Every time I did so I tried to interpret the mood of the scene and create a complementary composition and every time I walked away, I felt as if I was missing the point.

Late in the afternoon on the day before we broke camp I returned to this spot and sat quietly next to my camera, once again studying the details before me. The smooth texture and patterns of the flowing water, the randomness and colors of the of various sized rocks, the soft plunges and the wonderfully illuminated flow spilling off the largest rock in this scene all fought for my attention. I still felt confused. But I got down low and started to framed up a much tighter composition than I had done in my previous attempts. Then I spoke to the creek and said "show me your secrets" and release the shutter.

Looking at the display on the back of my camera I felt I was on to something. The composition looked pleasing (much more pleasing than previous attempts.) It took a few more attempts to dial in the exposure and while doing so I decided that I would name this photograph "Secrets" which in turn made me think that a black and white image might be more appropriate for telling the story of the "Secrets" of Rock Creek. And that's the story behind the creation of this photograph.

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