Matthiessen-State-Park-Cascade-Falls Warm weather hear over the weekend prompted me to take a drive up to the Uttica, IL to visit one of the state parks up there.  I have visited Starved Rock a number of times, but this time I decided to go to Matthiessen State Park which is a few miles to the south of the more popular Starved Rock.  I am so glad I did.  I enjoyed this park every bit as much as Starved Rock and found it much less crowded.  I have a number of photos of the park that I will be posting in the future, but this one is one of my favorites.  This photo of Cascade Falls was made with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk II and the 7-14 f/2.8 Pro lens at 8mm.  To smooth the falls and the water, I exposed the photo for 20 seconds using a Nisi 6 stop neutral density filter.  I also used a Nisi 3 stop graduated filter neutral density filter to try to balance the dynamic range between the shadows and the sunshine.  My photo shoot ended after this photo when my whole filter bracket and filters fell off into the water.  No damage was done and I was able to retrieve the filters from the cold water.  I definitely intend to visit Matthiessen State Park again when the weather is warm.