Swift River at Rocky Gorge

Author's Comments

Two compositions live within a few hundred yards of each other here, and they could not be more different. The gorge itself is loud, kinetic, granite squeezed against granite with the Swift River driving through the gap. The footbridge gives you the overhead angle, which is the obvious shot and still the right one. A long exposure smooths the white water into something closer to smoke, and the rock holds its texture against it. Two seconds is usually enough. Anything longer and the contrast collapses. Then you walk five minutes further and the world goes quiet. Falls Pond sits behind the gorge like an afterthought, and in early October when the maples have turned, the reflection on a still morning is almost too clean to believe. I prefer it just after sunrise, before the wind picks up and breaks the surface. The pond does not advertise itself. Most people stop at the gorge, take their photographs, and turn back to the parking lot without knowing what they are missing. That is the argument for this place. Not either composition on its own, but the pairing. Chaos and calm, within the same short walk, in the same morning light.

Gallery