Photographing Waterfalls
The following is a collection of some of my favorite landscape photography and scenic videos of waterfalls that I have captured over the years in the Pacific Northwest.
This is a photo I captured of South Falls in Silver Falls State Park, Oregon during Fall. The many deciduous trees in the area make it the perfect spot to capture fall color. The beautiful orange leaves that surround the waterfalls combined with the warmth of the early morning light beams made this one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken from the park.
Here is a photo of Punchbowl Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. I shot this image using my underwater housing. As of now, the landscape around this waterfall is unfortunately very damaged closed off due to a massive wildfire that occurred in the summer of 2017.
My all time favorite image was also captured at Proxy Falls. I'm especially proud of this image because it captures a really special, un-staged moment. Before I even had my camera out, I saw this man walking with his dog across the log and knew I had to capture it. I quickly rushed into the flow and setup my camera and tripod with just enough time to ask him if he'd be willing to hold still for the photo.
Below is Havasau Falls in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. It’s such an incredible waterfall because of how remote it is. After a ten mile hike down into the canyon, it was so rewarding to be able to swim and relax next to this beautiful waterfall.
Havasupai Falls is famous for it’s vibrant turquoise blue water that is enhanced in the afternoon light. While I loved photographing the unique color of this waterfall during the day time, I especially enjoyed shooting it under the starlight. Because you’re so far away from any towns and light pollution, the stars in the Grand Canyon are so bright and plentiful making it the perfect place to do night photography.
These two images were both taken at Oneonta Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon during different seasons. Oneonta Falls is also one of my favorite waterfalls in Oregon. After a brief, quarter mile trek up a gorge through the river you’re greeted by Oneonta Falls. It’s a wonderful spot to spend a hot summer afternoon – or cold, winter day. Unfortunately, this spot is also currently closed off because of the wildfire. The forest above was completely burned causing frequent landslides to fall into the gorge.
Sometimes, excessive rain or snow can allow for some beautifully unique conditions at waterfalls. The image on the left is of Elowah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. The two smaller side falls are not usually there but I was lucky enough to capture them during a very rainy winter.
The image on the right is of Wahclella falls during the winter. I captured this image from inside a large frozen snow cave that had formed after a snow storm.
Here is an underwater image I captured at Wachella Falls Oregon during the summer time. I had so much fun swimming around the waterfall photographing the tiny waves and light beams that formed. I really enjoy using my underwater housing to photograph waterfalls in a non traditional fashion.
I also enjoyed shooting some underwater photography at Abiqua Falls near Silverton, Oregon. While at Abiqua Falls, I focused on capturing fast exposure images of the underwater bubbles and spray that came off the waterfall. Although it slightly made me look like a chipmunk, I really appreciated having my XCEL Wetsuitand dive gloves to keep me warm as I spent hours swimming in the cold water.
Finally, here is an image of Panther Creek Falls on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.
I captured these two videos of Panther Creek Falls on two separate visits after a lot of rainfall.
