Elowah Falls Columbia River Gorge

coscorrosa

I visited this waterfall two weeks ago, but the fall color hadn't quite peaked and the water flow was really low (no substantial rain). Sunday the water flow was quite strong due to the rain and the fall colors were at the peak (though there were many leaves on the ground now instead of in the trees).

Here are a few different perspectives on one of the more underrated falls in the gorge:

#1:



#2:



#3:



#4:

squirl033

beautiful, Ron! is there a pathway that leads down into the stream bed where you took the first couple from? i didn't see one when i was there, and i'm afraid i'm a bit beyond the stage where "bushwhacking" down steep embankments is practical...

dlplumer

I would love to see a video of you taking some of these.:D How do you keep your equipment dry? Fabulous work, Ron.

jackiejay

Beautiful area and pictures:)

Doug Solis

Love your perspectives at Elowah. #1 is perfectly suited for a horizontal and including that fallen tree with the curved branches adds visual interest. (why didn't I think of that, lol). Also #3 a great storytelling image, lets people not only enjoy the visual beauty of this image but also imagine themselves walking down that path. Nice job.

coscorrosa

squirl033 wrote: »

beautiful, Ron! is there a pathway that leads down into the stream bed where you took the first couple from? i didn't see one when i was there, and i'm afraid i'm a bit beyond the stage where "bushwhacking" down steep embankments is practical...

There are a few spots that you can descend, none of them really trails, just areas where some runoff has cut through the vegetation. It's definitely a little tricky getting down, but no real problem going back up. I had to stand in the water for these shots but it's worth it.

dlplumer wrote: »

I would love to see a video of you taking some of these.:D How do you keep your equipment dry? Fabulous work, Ron.

Short answer: I don't! I try and wipe the front of the lens (actually polarizer) off between each exposure, but eventually you reach a point of diminishing returns. The good news is that you can get a built-in Orton like effect if the lens is foggy enough. Since it wasn't raining and I was far back I didn't get a lot of spray from the waterfalls, had I shot from nearer the base (that small bridge) I would have been soaked.

jackiejay wrote: »

Beautiful area and pictures:)

Thanks!

Doug Solis wrote: »

Love your perspectives at Elowah. #1 is perfectly suited for a horizontal and including that fallen tree with the curved branches adds visual interest. (why didn't I think of that, lol). Also #3 a great storytelling image, lets people not only enjoy the visual beauty of this image but also imagine themselves walking down that path. Nice job.

Thanks Doug, it's a very pretty waterfall and with that creek in the foreground there's a lot of different compositions, even if you have to stand in it to get them

squirl033

coscorrosa wrote: »

There are a few spots that you can descend, none of them really trails, just areas where some runoff has cut through the vegetation. It's definitely a little tricky getting down, but no real problem going back up. I had to stand in the water for these shots but it's worth it.

maybe next time i'm down there i'll take along a coil of rope and sorta rappel down the bank... i really like that low-angle composition, even if it does mean wet feet!

chrismoore

Hi Ron, nice work, the fall colors add a nice touch. I still think the classic comp of #1 is the strongest, though I like the second as well. I think the shadows are a bit dark and the vig a bit heavy, and so my eye goes straight to the falls which are several stops brighter when the greens and golds in the foreground are what frames the shot. It doesnt look like you lost any pixels, so it should be easy enough to fix with some blending and luminosity masking. Great job, though--- I've shot there before and I know that with the water spray about 90% of my exposures had water on the lens.