by Bruce Sanford
Just east of Portland Oregon along Interstate 84, the Columbia River cuts through the Cascade Mountains, creating an impressive gorge. The gorge itself is a natural treasure, but the waterfalls are the jewels. Within an area less than half of the size of the state of Rhode Island, there are 71 named waterfalls, eleven of these are over 100 feet in height. I've visited many of these falls over the course of the last few years, seeking out the perfect photograph (at least in my mind), and coming to realize that the settings often overwhelms the senses, and that a conscience effort is required to produce good pictures.
Weather is most important. If it is a cloudless day with well-defined shadows, I put away my camera. Although it may be most enjoyable for an outing, the contrast between light and shadow is too much for film to handle. When I was using film, I liked to keep everything within four stops, and a sunny day in the forest goes well beyond that. For digital you can get away with five stops, but it's still not the same as having overcast conditions to get the detail. The best picture-taking weather is a light overcast, without discernible shadows and without wind.
With subdued light of overcast conditions, high contrast qualities pose no problems. To enhance colors even further, I normally use a polarizing filter, which provides an additional color snap. With an overcast day within a forest under story, low ISO, made even slower by the polarizing filter, a tripod becomes a necessity. Under these conditions, most of my shots are in the 1/2 to 2 second range, with some going as long as eight seconds. On a windless day it's a simple matter of setting the aperture at f 16, and then focusing for maximum depth of field. But normally there's a breeze, much of it created by the waterfall, which produces its own microclimate as a result temperature differences between the air and water and from the rush of falling water. This may set off leaf movement, which you generally don't want. There is no simple way to get around blowing branches except to wait for a lull in conditions. If it doesn’t come, you might have to be content with slightly blurred foliage. I normally use a wide-angle lens, a 28mm or less, which inherently provides for a wide depth of field even at large apertures. If required, I will go with 5.6 or even 2.8 to give me the speed necessary to freeze the action.
Speaking of "freezing the action", this may not be what you want with falling water. To achieve the "mist" effect, a shutter speed of 1/15 or slower must be used. The longer the shutter speed the greater the effect in most cases, but the final result is dependent on the speed of the water itself as well as its configuration. Water that drops in a single confined chute, as compared to one that fans out, will not "mist" to the same extent with the same shutter speed. So a longer shutter speed may be require in some circumstances to get the effect you want.
Regarding exposure, be aware that the reflective qualities of water increases as it mixes with air. This is why such things as rapids, cascades and waterfalls are white. If the waterfall is only a small part of the overall scene that you see in your viewfinder, you probably won’t need to make any exposure adjustments. However, the more the waterfall fills the frame, the more you need to adjust the exposure. I look through the viewfinder and estimate the amount of "whiteness" in the picture. If 50% of the overall area is composed of the waterfall, I will increase exposure by 1/2 to 1 stop. If the entire frame consists of the falls, I might give it two full stops of additional exposure. This will maintain the natural color of the waterfall and prevent underexposure of surrounding features. Another way is to simply point your camera onto green leaves, (or something that approximates 18% grey) and go with that exposure value. However, be careful not to create a waterfall "burnout" where you overexpose the falls and lose the detail of the water. This is deadly with transparency film. This is not so easy to avoid sometimes, but it makes sense to back off with your exposure compensation by 1/3 stop or so. I always carry an external meter to measure both ambient and reflected light when conditions are questionable. With all the new exposure features incorporated into the new cameras, this may not be a big problem, but with older or manual cameras, keep this in mind. Remember, you can always bracket.
Within the Columbia Gorge, I do have my favorite waterfalls. The most prominent and famous is Multnomah Falls. Considered to be the second highest waterfall in the U.S., it consists of two leaps with a total drop of 620 feet. A footbridge that spans the section between the two falls certainly adds to the scenic value. With its proximity to the highway, this waterfall is certainly the most photographed. But I have other favorites, including Latourell Falls, shown in this article. I consider this falls one of the most picturesque. It plunges an uninterrupted 250 feet, and its face provides an excellent sample of the columnar basalt, laid down during one of the lava flood events several million years ago. (But that is another story.)
Another lofty waterfall is the Elowha Falls, situated on the east terminus of the scenic highway, just before the road merges back onto Interstate 84. A hike of about a mile and a half takes you to a secluded canyon cloaked in greenery and faced with yellow lichen. The setting is magical, and I almost expect to see leprechauns dancing in the glade.
But beauty should not be measured in height, for some of the smaller falls have a singular attraction of their own. Fairy Falls is well named, for it descends delicately, invoking entities of the imagination. It begins its drop within a confined chute, but fans out, dividing in the most wonderful ways. And there is Punchbowl Falls. Like Fairy Falls, it requires a hike of about 2.5 miles to reach, but well worth the energy. Punchbowl Falls is a 15-foot drop along Eagle Creek, plunging into a quite pool confined by sheer banks lined with fern. Quite the paradise.
At highway speed you won’t see many of the waterfalls, so for safety sake and serious photography drive the Historic Columbia River Highway, which takes the same course, but a winding one, up the gorge. If you are coming from Portland, take Exit 22 at Corbett and follow the signs. If you are heading east, Exit 35, just past Bonneville Dam, will put you onto the same road.
You can pick up books and guides once you get there. The lodge at Multnomah Falls has a gift shop, so that might be a good choice for a first stop. Crown Point also has some maps and guides as well as a museum and a grand vista of the gorge. A couple of the useful sources include 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon by William Sullivan and Hiking the Columbia River Gorge by Russ Schneider. The best time to go is when you can. Spring is always nice, especially as the forest begins to unfold and the leaves are a prime green. And then there is autumn when the big leaf maples turn shades of yellow. The second week of November is about the peak for fall colors. Winter can bring down an Arctic front. When this happens, beards of ice often form around the falls, creating the most wonderful displays. If you have only a few hours to explore, I would stay with those waterfalls that are easiest to reach, such as Multnomah, Latourell and Horsetail falls. If you have a day, I would hike to an additional falls of two, such as Ponytail, Punchbowl or Elowha. If you have a few days, lucky you, for you are in for a treat.