Lewis River Waterfalls
The second half of my Spring Break trip was to the Lewis River area. My main motivation for coming here was to see the Lower Lewis River Falls; I've wanted to see it for a long time, and thought that this would be a good opportunity, before summer crowds and visitation restrictions make it more difficult. When I went, early on Thursday morning, I had the whole place to myself. I arrived just before sunrise, so I could photograph the lower falls before sunlight hit it. After photographing the lower falls, I hiked the Lewis River Trail to the Middle and Upper Lewis Falls, eventually seeing a handful of other hikers. All three falls are very impressive, as is the Lewis River itself. The trail offers numerous opportunities to view the river, and there are some nice groves of old trees between Middle and Upper Lewis Falls.
First, what might be the money shot of the whole trip: Lower Lewis Falls, with sunlight illuminating the spray from the falls. Keeping both the sun glare and the spray off the lens was a challenge, but I'm glad I stuck with it. The contrast is not as much of a problem as I thought it would be - the falls themselves are still shaded from the sunlight, helping to prevent overexposure. The biggest issue is the detail quality; breezes from the falls kept jostling the branches around. F/16, 1/5 of a second.
Here's another view of the lower falls, this time without spray or sunshine. It's less striking, but the detail quality is a bit better, as I was able to time the exposure with a better lull in the breeze. F/16, 1.3 seconds.
Next, Middle Lewis Falls. I was fortunate to arrive here just before the sun was high enough to illuminate it. F/16, 1 second.
Upper Lewis Falls was in full midday sunshine when I reached it, so my photography there was less successful, but I had to try. The highlight recovery feature in Lightroom helped alleviate the high contrast a bit, but the water might still be overexposed. Even so, Upper Falls is probably my favorite of the three falls as a destination, due to the ease of getting to the river shore and gazing up at the falls. Both F/16, 1/15 of a second.
Curly Creek Falls trail
The next morning, I hiked the short Curly Creek Falls trail, again hoping to reach the falls before sunlight hit it. This trail actually views two waterfalls: Curly Creek Falls and Miller Creek Falls. The latter was easier to photograph, with fewer branches and things obstructing the view. Here are two slightly different versions of Miller Creek Falls. Both F/16, 2 seconds.
Next, my best attempt at photographing Curly Creek Falls through the trees. Even though it's harder to see, it's the more interesting of the two falls due to the rock arches. F/16, 2 seconds.
Cedar Flats
I stopped at Cedar Flats, where a short trail loops through some very impressive old-growth forest, with peekaboo views of the Muddy River. My favorite picture from the visit, though, was this closeup of trillium (Trillium ovatum). F/5.
Forest landscapes in sunny weather are difficult due to the high contrast, but this one isn't bad. I'd still like it better with overcast lighting, but I'm glad I went ahead and tried anyway. A Douglas Fir is in the foreground. F/16.
McClellan Viewpoint
Finally, a sunrise shot of Mount St. Helens from the McClellan Viewpoint, along the Curly Creek Road (between Carson and Northwoods). F/14.
That's all for now; thanks for reading! I hope to be back soon with more adventures.
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