The morning started with clearing a good six inches of heavy wet snow off the windshield of the Jeep in the parking lot of Crater Lake Lodge. The night spent there was relatively unproductive for photography to say the least. The ranger at the park entrance told us that we wouldn’t be able to see the lake but we already had reservations at the lodge that couldn’t be canceled. The drive up took us into the clouds and we were greeted to a cold driving rain at the top. You couldn’t even tell a lake was there. The next morning was no different. I can now add Crater Lake to my list of scenic locations that I have been to but have not seen (the other being the Grand Canyon covered in snow).

The weather was completely different after going back down and leaving the park. It was quite the opposite in fact. Sunny skies and a good 30 degrees warmer! I drove west and connected up with Highway 230 that heads north along the Rogue River. As is true almost everywhere in Oregon, there are a multitude of waterfalls in the area. One of those is National Creek Falls a few miles off the highway. The trail takes you close to the top off the falls and then slowly descends through a series of switchbacks down to a meadow at the base of the falls. It is a very pretty location.

There were a few challenges in shooting the falls. First was that you need to cross the creek to get a good view which wasn’t a problem since I had my waders. Second was that for only being 40 feet high, the falls put off a good amount of spray. Third was that it was a beautiful day but not necessarily for shooting waterfalls! I waited what seemed like forever to get a cloud to block the direct sun, but it was still bright enough to require using a neutral density filter to get a long exposure. I played this game for an hour, but in the end it paid off and I was able to come away with some good shots.

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