The Dam at Ithan Valley

As it continues to get a little warmer each week, I finally felt comfortable to stomp around a creek and risk getting my feet (and gear!) wet. This past weekend, I dragged my family out to Ithan Valley park in Radnor, PA, to shoot the waterfall that cascades over the old dam. We had originally intended to visit another location, but I wasn’t sure there was enough to keep my one-year-old occupied, but Ithan Valley was a nice compromise. I never knew the park existed, despite living near the area for some time, until this past summer when Ithan Avenue became a regular part of my early morning bike rides. It is one of those weird Delaware County parks that existed well before the Blue Route (476) was built, and now the friendly natural confies are greeted with the ever-present soundtrack of cars doing 75 on the highway.

For this little expedition, I was eager to use my Hoya ND400 neutral density filter, which blocks a whopping 8 2/3 stops of light. For the uninitiated, using a ND filter this dark lets you keep your shutter open for extended periods of time in daytime conditions giving you the ability to make water look nice and silky. It’s a little precarious having your camera on a tripod on a rock in the middle of a fast moving creek, so if you ever give these a shot make sure you have good insurance on your gear! The surefooted, creek-hopping days of my youth are long gone, so I did wind up with a waterlogged boot for my trouble …