Kept Light Photography

Photography and Writing by A. Cemal Ekin

Stepstone Falls and Arcadia State Park

Get well, Binnaz. Blue is your color!

Stepstone Falls Abstract

The protected land and public parks are an integral part of life in most, if not all the states. Rhode Island, as small as it may be, is not an exception. The large spans of wooded areas, numerous ponds, of course, the shoreline provide visual comfort as well as places to visit.

In southern Rhode Island, the Arcadia Management Area covers over 14,000 acres of forest, scattered lakes and ponds, and many hiking trails. Thanks to Jim who knows these locations, we visited the area with the first stop at Stepstone Falls in Exeter. The falls are almost decorative in size, diminutive in both width and fall height. Despite the size, perhaps because of it, the spot is quite pleasant to visit and enjoy the surroundings. Large slabs of granite still remain from an old quarry and provide interesting photographic elements. Jim said the level of water was the highest he had seen. Because of that, the whirlpool that apparently forms in the central part appeared as a small pool, no whirling. The small falls in front of this pool provided the main attraction. I was mainly drawn to the reflections on the water in a mixture of colors.

After enjoying the spot, and it is a spot more than an area, we got back in the car and Jim drove to another spot in the Arcadia Park. The wooden walk provided easy access to see the fall colors reflect on the small pond. After this, Jim took us to another similar spot with a wooden walk by another pond and a tiny falls on the other side. The water was very calm, the angle of view was opportune to see the blue sky reflected on the surface like a giant mirror. 

Below are some photographs from various spots on the Arcadia State Park grounds.

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    • Thank you, William. They are mostly straight out of the camera, clearly not the crop of course. I adjust the exposure, control the highlights. the HSL sliders. In some of them, I might have even lowered the saturation of some colors that I thought not fitting. These are close to my mental images of the scenes I experienced, my vision.

      Thanks for stopping by,

      Cemal

      • Cemal,
        The luminance and vibrance of the colors is so striking! Thanks for the posts,
        and I thoroughly enjoy your photography and your discussions.

        Bill

        • That is very kind of you, Bill. My photographs reflect my vision and I focus on not showing my edits in the final results. If they look “effortlessly done” I will be very pleased. This bunch is fairly close to what the camera recorded. Sometimes luck helps, the prepared mind! (Paraphrasing Pasteur.)

          Do you have a Website where you share your work?

          Take care, and keep in touch,

          Cemal

          • No, I don’t have a website, primarily because most of my photos are of my children and grandkids. I just enjoy looking @ all kinds of photographs and trying to envision in my mind what the photographer was thinking, why this spot, is there a message and the feelings they stir. I’ve enjoyed your work for several years and hope to for many more.

            Best regards,

            Bill

          • Bill, my next post will most likely be related to my granddaughter as we are planning to visit them next week. But, your active viewing of photographs and reading them to envision the photographers’ vision is a very challenging activity as well.

            Take care,

            Cemal

  4. Really outstanding water intimate captures. Very loved. I will experiment looks like these works.
    Best wishes.

  5. Good for you for getting out there with Jim !! Nature has so much to offer. It certainly taps into individual creativity !!

    • Thanks, Deb. So long as the walking is not much and too challenging I enjoy these short outings. Jim knows all kinds of nooks and crannies in the boonies! I hope you enjoyed the results. We are in Baltimore waiting to board for Salt Lake City. See you after we return.

      Take care,

      Cemal