Shale Creek of Chestnut Ridge Park It was getting really late in the evening, just about an hour before sunset, but I felt like I did not get my dose of fresh air for the day. I headed out planning to hunt for some hallmark features of the Chestnut Ridge Park that I have neglected a bit recently.

While searching for a feature I last visited probably about 10 years ago the sound of rushing water caught my ear. I quickly became too curious to pass that up and headed down to the Shale Creek bed to see what the "fuss" was about.

I found a nice small waterfall, probably not even two feet, with nice boulder around. I spent at least 30 minutes searching for a composition I would like but just could not find one. There were too many dead branches catching the light of now almost setting sun.

As I was moving around the scene I focused my attention on the big rocks instead of the waterfall. They were submerging into a deep shadow but I liked how that contrasted the bright green branches in the background.

Shale Creek of Chestnut Ridge Park As I moved around my tripod where I took the first photo here, I looked up behind me and what I saw there got me excited even more. For a brief moment, I felt like I was in a jungle. The moss covered tree trunk just above my head and the lush green vegetation beyond, bending down over the creek. It felt so chaotic, yet orderly at the same time. The wonders of nature.

After finding my way from the jungle back to the real world, I refocused on the creek bed, the shale rock, and the water running at different speed based on how it got channeled by the rocks.

The last photo here shows a section where the foreground water was running in several fast almost parallel streams that created paths blocking one's view of the rock below. Those stripes, combined with the nice mossy rock and tiny cascades were elements I felt described the creek the best. The planned location got me out, the waterfall called me to the creek, but neither made it to my photos that evening. I was rather satisfied just being there and these photos will help me remember and go back at some point.

Shale Creek of Chestnut Ridge Park

Fast Streams of Shale Creek, Chestnut Ridge Park, Orchard Park, New York

Have fun finding your inspiration and keep your eyes and ears open!

Equipment used:

• Nikon D600
• Nikon 24-85mm Nikkor Lens
• Manfrotto tripod (055MF3) and head (496RC2)
• Exposure delay mode of 2 seconds, no remote release
• Think Tank Speed Demon Waist Pack, Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp (always in the bag just in case), SanDisk Extreme 32GB SD Cards
• Nikon Capture NX2

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