Picture of the week

April 3, 2016

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Mar 27, 2016

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Feather Falls

The previous month, I also took the 4.5 mile (each way) hike out to Feather Falls. This waterfall is quite spectacular at 410 feet tall, located toward the south from Lake Oroville. Previous lore had its height incorrectly stated at 640 feet, but more recent verifications have corrected this error. The trail to the falls is a quite popular hike, as myself and two other friends got here by about 10:30am (being about 2 hours from Sacramento), and found the parking lot to be almost full already. Directions for this hike can be found here.

Along the way, about a mile from the trailhead there is another attractive cascade known as Frey Falls that is worth a stop. This is along the upper trail that is slightly longer, but more friendly for hiking due to its more gradual slope. Just before the viewpoint at the end, you can also take a short 1/4 mile additional spur trail out to the edge of the falls itself. This view can be equally spectacular and worth the extra effort. You can see more images from the Feather Falls hike below.

The above image was captured at the main viewpoint with a Canon EOS 70D and EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens while mounted on a tripod. Settings for the exposure: 1/3 second, f/16, and ISO 100. To slow down the shutter speed enough during the mid-day light, I applied a 6-stop B&W ND filter. A similar technique was applied for the first image shown below to achieve a 1 second exposure on Frey Falls, getting the extra benefit from the shade by the canopy of trees.

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