View from above :)

View from above :)

Kapinovski Waterfall (the spelling of that in Bulgarian is questionable).

Or why you need to buy ND filters for all lenses you carry.

Note: the ND filter is a dark tint glass that gets screwed on the lens and darkens the scene. This enables you to take pictures with low shutter speed. In plain English, this means that we can shoot waterfalls with silky smooth water.

The Place:
Kapinovski Waterfall can be found relatively easy. Just follow the signs for Kapinovskiy Monastery (signs are scarce, but with a good map you will be fine.) At one point, about a kilometer before the monastery you will reach Kapinovski Monastery Camping and Hotel Complex. There's a tavern "Pri Vodopada" you just go around it and the path will lead you right to the waterfall.

The waterfall itself is not high, just 7 meters, but the pool around it in combination with the rocks that surround it makes the scene really impressive. Access is really esay, but you'll need trainers, if you plan to climb up the rocks.

The story behind the shot:
We're there, I'm armed with two lenses – a 10-18 (Wide-angle) and a 17-55 (normal). So far so good, but I have a ND filter only for the normal lens. I keep thinking it would work, but when I climbed the rocks, I understood that no, I need space, and space above the waterfall is almost nonexistent. So cursing my own stupid mind and I do something really, REALLY hate to do while on terrain – lens changing – I replaced the normal one with the wide-angle Lens. Which has NO ND filter. On top of that around the waterfall was quite sunny, so that the picture has a chance to burn (a part of the image that is completely white and there is no image captured by the sensor). Long live RAW files and Photoshop!

Photoadvice:
This place is very popular for bathing in the summer, so you just give up the idea of summer pictures. The proximity of the Complex (which I think ruins the whole place) guarantees you crowds at almost any time. Even I as I was there, when the complex was closed, there were several people.
So try early spring (then the waterfall has more water in it) or autumn.

Necessary Gear:
ND Filter!!!! (Mandatory, especially if you want silky water), a tripod and a remote trigger. You need two lenses - a wide-angle for photos from above the waterfall and a normal one, or telephoto lens - because when you go down by the pool, can't get closer to the waterfall.
Good hiking shoes are a must so that you don’t end up in the water.

ATTENTION! The pool is around 6 meters deep, and the rocks under the water ARE REALLY SLIPPERY. So if you don't want to lose your tripod (and camera) forever, just don't put it on wet rocks.