Spring Break Part 4: Latourell Falls

The last destination of the late April trip to the Columbia Gorge was Latourell Falls in Oregon. Of all the locations I visited, this was by far the most crowded. But the crowds were never thick enough to preclude photography, and it was fun to see the diverse cohort of trail users and their activities: nature photography, selfie-taking of varying styles and levels of seriousness, family and pet outings, and pure enjoyment of the scenery, to name just a few examples.

The image below is easily my favorite from the day: the lower falls framed by maple trees with newly opening leaves. F/18, 1/2 second.

Here's a wider view of the lower falls. The sense of depth isn't as compelling, but the composition shows the falls in a wider context. F/16, 0.4 seconds.

Next, two views of the upper falls. I found this location more difficult to photograph than the lower falls, due to the high contrast between the brightest parts of the waterfall and shadowed areas of cliffs and conifer trees. The images below, my best results, are marginal in that regard; there are some overexposed areas, but they might still look okay in print. I think the vertical composition is my favorite of the two, as the falls has a more prominent position. Both F/18, 0.6 seconds.

That's all for my Spring Break trip. Coming soon: a subsequent trip to Fidalgo Island to see some wildflowers!