Fluidity

Place: Portersville, Pennsylvania

Location: McConnell's Mill State Park

This waterfall is actually man made and was used to power the McConnell's Mill State Park grist mill. The mill initially belonged to Daniel Kennedy from 1852 until ownership was transferred to Thomas McConnell in 1875. When the water level in Slippery Rock Creek is just right, a vortex forms in the middle of the waterfall. I have seen the vortex several times since, but on this particular day the sky was a deep blue with the sun at just the right angle to reflect the blue sky in the water. Because the vortex is out in the middle of the wide waterfall, I had to capture it using a long 400mm telephoto lens.

This is the black and white version of the photograph, which was awarded a silver medal by B&W Magazine in their Single Image 2010 issue. The color version of the photo can be seen here.

For more about the fascinating history of McConnell's Mill State Park, see my article entitled "The Twin Jewels Of Western Pennsylvania".