I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this assignment. I am not good at finding interesting subjects for long term photography projects. After spending a day at Taughannock Falls last January, I knew this impressive waterfall was going to be my Four Seasons project for 2011. It did not hurt the Glenwood Pines restaurant is nearby either. 🙂
The location I photographed the waterfall from takes a bit of effort to get to. While most people stop at the Overlook, take a few photos and leave. I hiked up the North Rim trail from the Overlook parking lot about a quarter mile for a more natural portrait of Taughannock Falls. The natural framing of the forest trees and the flow of water over the falls are the keys to the passage of the seasons.
It is easy to be accustomed to the marvels of Nature through familiarity. Watching water drop the 215 feet (65.5 meters) over Taughannock Falls on each visit this year, I found it as impressive as the first time I saw it two years ago. Each season showed a different face of the falls. Ice and quiet in Winter, overflowing and loud in Spring, slight and whispering in Summer and complimentary and musical to the Autumn colors.
The water ever flows over the Great Fall in the Woods as the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) Indians called Taughannock Falls. The friction of the water and the force of gravity continues to slowly change the gorge. During my time there this year, I saw and heard rocks, both large and small, fall from the falls and cascade off the gorge walls. I may never notice much change over the rest of my lifetime. Those visiting in the decades to come will see a different Taughannock Falls State Park. Change is Nature’s way of evolving the world around us. Change both creates and destroys. Those who embrace change, will be successful and survive.
I will recap everyone’s submissions to the assignment next week. Congrats to those who stuck with it!
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They should Freshly Press this post Scott. And instead of having “Delete This” as your caption, maybe it should read “A Central New York Heaven” or something like that. Definitely worth waiting a whole year for the full quartet. Congratulations!
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Whoops…needed that text and forgot my own message to myself. All fixed now!
Thanks, Scott! Taughannock Falls is one of New York’s Natural Wonders.
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I agree. So is the gorge that runs from Buttermilk Falls up to the campus. 🙂
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That’s a beautiful collection, Scott. I especially appreciate the point that clambering up and over the rough spots brought you to a perfectly-framed natural vantage point. Some things never grow stale. Our favorite landscapes are like that.
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Thanks, Gerry! So glad you can now view my posts faster. No need to take a coffee break unless you want to. I so did enjoy doing this. The difference in the seasons can really be appreciated once they can be viewed together.
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Like!!!! You got it at its best. Thanks for another reminder of the beauty I left behind!
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Thanks, Jan. Really, not trying to rub it in. 🙂
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Wow, really cool shots Scott! Those icicles at the the top of the falls in winter are really something and what an unbelievable blue in the spring!
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It was a fun year with these falls. I took the photos around the same time of day, give or take a few minutes. The quality of the light changed over the year as much as the foliage did.
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What a cool idea Scott, you come up with some good ones for passionate photogs. Have a good Christmas holiday Scott.
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Beautiful! You chose a great subject for the assignment.
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This is magnificent, Scott ! All four pictures so different and yet in the same location. You really chose the perfect time and place to show the meandering of Seasons. I like the framing inside the mosaic. Is it with Photoscape ? Congratulations and thank you for this great assignnment.
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It is amazing how different the water looks depending of the time of year. Each one beautiful and very interesting.
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Your four photos of Taughannock Falls are amazing, the falls and the colors you captured are so different and and are highlighting the changing seasons very fine.
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