Cascade

Of all the places I hike each year one holds a special place in my heart for its beauty and peacefulness. Tucked into the base of the Santa Cruz mountain range a small winding creek provides seemingly endless photo opportunities. After recent rains my girlfriend and I headed to the Waterfall Loop Trail at Uvas Canyon Park.

The hike is only about 2-miles-long but it winds along the cascades of Swanson Creek. Even in throws of the recent drought there was a enough water to pulse the creek with tumbling falls and drops.

I really don’t count this as a hike, it is much more a long photo walk. Armed with four lenses, a tripod and wireless remoter control for my camera we set out on a five-hour stroll along creek as the roar of water echoed in the canyon.

Photographing waterfalls is probably the most technical type of shooting I do;managing composition, shutter speed to adjust the motion of water, f-top to control the depth of field and ISO setting to maintain the correct exposure. I always shoot on manual and a mistake in choosing the right shutter speed exposure can lead to an intriguing photograph.

I will have to wait another year for a trip to the waterfalls of Uvas Canyon.  If enough rain falls I may try a photo adventure to the falls at Mount Tamalpias and Mount Diablo and see if their waters can match the cascades of Uvas Canyon..