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In This Issue
Iguazu Falls
SLR Notes
P&S Tips
TOPOFPAGECliff and Doris Kolber
Nature and Travel Photography
Newsletter - Iguazu Falls


Welcome to our newsletters.
Today's is about Iguazu Falls, which are absolutely the most incredible waterfalls in the world.  If you don't agree, we suspect you haven't been there.  And they are worth the trip!  SLR photo notes and Point & Shoot tips are included at the end of the newsletter.

Travel with us through our newsletters, and online at kolberphotography.com.  At the website, you'll find a variety of photography, trip reports and travel tips.  Feel free to contact us with comments, questions and kudos.

Read on, and enjoy!


IGUAZU 

Iguazu Falls

We had just finished an expedition to Antarctica. On the trip back to Miami we took an extra two days to visit Iguazu Falls in Argentina.
 

After experiencing Antarctica I didn't believe I could be overwhelmed by another wonder of the world so soon. But there we were, standing on the edge of the falls, watching
billowing sheets of water roaring over cliffs spread out almost two miles end-to-end.  We were stunned and overwhelmed once again, this time by the beauty and power being unleashed in front of us.
 
Comparisons are made over which falls of the world are the biggest, the tallest, the widest or have the most water.  The list includes Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Niagara Falls on the New York/Canada border, Angel Falls in Venezuela and of course, Iguazu Falls on the Argentina/Brazil border.  But make no mistake - the grandeur, the expanse and the beauty of Iguazu separates it from all the others. There are 275 waterfalls cascading down two distinctly separate levels. With the tallest falls at 270 feet and flowing through the jungle in explosive clouds of mist, the enormity and grace of Iguazu Falls staggers the mind.
 
The falls were created when a shift in the earth 200,000 years ago caused massive earthquakes and transformed the mouth of the Iguazu River into a crescent shaped cliff. That cliff is Devil's Throat, the centerpiece and most impressive of the falls.  There is
a boardwalk to the top of Devil's Throat, where you'll get a serious drenching and a quick lesson on the power of nature.  Devil's Throat alone has 14 falls that drop 350 feet with such ferocity that they create a cloud of spray hundreds of feet high.
 

The falls are alive.  They are always relocating through the jungle, creating new cascades in one area while drying up in others. The remains of dried-up falls are apparent throughout the region.
 
To really appreciate the size of the falls a helicopter ride is required. We did that and we would highly recommend it for anyone visiting the falls. We took off from the Brazil side of the falls, and after a couple of minutes in the air the falls came into view.  It was jaw-dropping.  Miles of waterfalls stretched out end-to-end with clouds of mist rising toward the helicopter. It was only then that the immensity of the falls and the amount of water rushing over them set in.  It was a thrill and an experience that shouldn't be missed.
 



Another great, and a more "down to earth", way to experience the falls is on a speed boat. After jostling in an open-bed truck a few miles into the jungle, we boarded the boat with 20 other lucky folks.  We rode the Iguazu River, which is at the bottom of the huge canyon carved by the falls.  Since their origination, the falls have eroded upstream to their current location 30 miles from the starting point. It is a reminder of the incredible strength of water and the forces of nature.

For the boat ride, we were given "dry bags" to store our cameras in when we got to the falls, but the dry bags were wetter than the falls!  It was a good thing we brought our own bags.  The driver took us under the falls three times, and each time we were soaked with more water than the soaking before.  Water was hurtling down hundreds of feet and when we had a chance to look up we could barely see the top of the falls through the billowing explosions of water. From river level, the fury and the power of the falls became even more evident.
 





After two incredible days at the falls, we hit the road again on our return to Miami.  We didn't have enough time to explore everything that we'd like to at Iguazu, but that merely gave us an excuse to return another day.

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SLRNOTES

SLR Photo Notes

For Iguazu Falls, a medium and a telephoto zoom lens will serve you well.  Generally I'll carry a wide-angle zoom for landscapes, a medium zoom for general shooting and a telephoto zoom for wildlife or macro-landscapes. But at Iguazu, the scenes were so wide that I never used the wide-angle zoom lens.

The telephoto lens got a workout.  Some of our favorite images were captured at 300mm to 400mm. Our digital cameras have focal length factors of 1.5x, so we were shooting at the 35mm equivalent of 450mm to 600mm.

We did not bring tripods on this trip, and at Iguazu especially, we were glad.  The trails were precarious in places, always slippery and super-crowded with tourists.  We were also spending a lot of time protecting the equipment from rain and the falls spray.  With good bracing techniques though, hand-holding worked well!   Be sure you bring something to protect the camera from rain and falls spray, and bring a bandana or napkin to dry the camera.

 
My camera pack included the following (Doris's was similar, but with Canon equipment).
  • LowePro MiniTrekker backpack
  • Nikon D300 camera and flash
  • Nikon D100 camera (for backup)
  • Nikon lenses:
    • 12-24mm f/4 zoom lens
    • 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom lens
    • 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens
  • Extension tubes
  • Circular polarizer filters, memory cards, spare battery and charger
  • Ponchos and shower caps (ponchos act as a tarp for shooting from the ground and shower caps protect the camera and lens in rain)
  • bandanas to dry the equipment




PSTIPS

Point & Shoot Photo Tips
 Here are some useful tips whether you are shooting with a Point & Shoot camera or an SLR. 

1. The falls area is full of mist and clouds, so you will be shooting at a slower speed.  Be sure you hold the camera absolutely steady when you press the shutter.  It's a good idea to hold your breath and then press the shutter gently. This helps reduce or avoid camera shake.  Try bracing the camera against a tree, a fence railing, a rock, etc. to steady the camera.  If the entire picture appears fuzzy, that's because the camera was not held steady.  If only a portion of the picture is fuzzy, that's usually a focus problem , and not addressed here.  But be sure you are focusing the camera on the main subject.

2. After shooting the entire falls, zoom in and focus on a smaller area.  You can capture and express the scene just as well, if not better, by including just a small portion.


3. If you are shooting a scene that includes sky, just keep a small portion of the sky in your image.  Too much sky, especially if there are no clouds, can be distracting from a great image.  Include just a sliver of sky at the top of your image.

4. Use the flash if you are shooting people outdoors, especially if there are shadows on their faces or if the falls are in the background.  The camera will meter for the full scene, and by using flash the people should be illuminated just right.  You may need to "force the flash" for this to work.  Make sure the flash is set to "ON" instead of "auto".

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Thanks for visiting, and contact us with comments or questions.
Be sure to explore the outdoors
Cliff and Doris backyardand enjoy our natural lands. Leave everything as it was when you arrived and it will be a rewarding experience for everyone.

Cliff and Doris Kolber

email: [email protected]

website: Kolberphotography.com



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