Gordon Watson, PPSA
August 2026 - Last Light On Mulafosser
Original
Original 2
Original 3
About the Image(s)
During late May, we visited the Faroe Islands which lie between Scotland and Iceland. The most famous view on the islands is the Mulafossur Waterfall. We visited the falls during the day when it was rather dull, then again at sunset. The conditions at sunset were difficult, with the setting sun very bright behind the waterfall. I took 4 bracketed exposures, but the initial HDR image did not look very promising. However by lifting the shadows and adjusting the colour temperature in Lightroom it improved quite a bit. I then thought about combining a longer exposure day-time shot of the waterfall. The daytime shot was enhanced from a dull grey day by adding a pool of light on the village using a Lightroom radial filter. So the final image is a composite of a 4-shot evening HDR image, merged with an adjusted daytime image for the village and waterfall. To be picky, with the sun behind the cliffs it could not create the pool of light on the village - but that's just a bit of artistic licence!
Technical stuff - Canon EOS R5 + 24-105mm F4L lens at 24mm. ISO 250, F11, Exposures between 0.4s and 1/25sec. 4sec exposure for the daytime waterfall shot.
6 comments posted
Posted: 08/14/2026 15:25:06
I really like what you've done with this composite. Your overall strategy is sound, and the image has a strong sense of atmosphere and visual interest. In your Original 2 image, I notice there is already light in the fields both below and above the town, so you might consider toning the brightness down just a touch-assuming, of course, the license police allow that kind of adjustment.
One detail you didn't mention is the pair of figures just to the right of the falls. I'm assuming they're people, and their placement near the right third works very well. They add a subtle sense of mystery and scale, which gives the viewer another reason to stay with the image.
The sunset is handled nicely and feels well processed. To my eye, the one area I'd revisit is the bright green along the right side. If you toned that down a bit, it would help keep the waterfall as the dominant visual element and strengthen the overall composition.
It's always fun to experiment with different effects and see what we can create. One thing I've learned in my own work is that after I let a "finished" image sit for a month or so, my initial fondness for it or a portion of it often softens. When I come back with fresh eyes, I can usually see small adjustments that strengthen the photo. This is already a solid image, but I think it would benefit from that kind of later review and refinement.
Posted: 08/16/2026 20:13:12