I found this picture, taken from the base of Niagara Falls on the Canada side, that I hadn’t processed before. I think I tried in the past but couldn’t get it to come together. It did take a lot of time masking in different photos and adjusting contrasts to get it looking like this. Swirling mist doesn’t make for the best shooting conditions.
Having a few days off, with nothing to do, has resulted in me getting the photos I have to process organized. A lot of the photos I’ve released from my last trip to the Victoria Falls were taken under tricky conditions. I was surrounded by swirling mist which soaked both me and my equipment and obscured my view of the falls, making everything blurry and flat. I got clear shots the first time I was there, but there wasn’t much water about.
This picture, is actually of the first view of the falls you see when you enter from the Zambian side, but it was the last picture I took that day. Apparently, I’d figured out how to deal with the mist by this point. I think I’d gotten more patient, waiting for the mist to clear before clicking the shutter. Looking at the shots I took just before this one, I think I’ve got some more clear images to come.
I’ve been rationing my few remaining Iceland photos for quite a while now. I really need to get back there. When I took this photo, my travel buddy was still recovering from becoming a quivering mess at the top of Detifoss and decided not to get this close. She claimed she was tired, but I’m pretty sure she was just scared.
When I got this close I started getting a little nervous. I’ve used a wide angle lens so it looks like I was further from the rushing water than I was. The water level here was level with the rock I was standing on. It definitely made me concentrate on where I was putting my feet and my camera.
As you drive from Livingstone to the Victoria Falls, there’s a moment, before you get there, where you can see the mist reaching for the sky directly ahead of you. When you enter the park, before you feel the mist, you can hear the falls roaring in the distance. Before you can see the falls, you feel the air get moist and see the mist swirl around you as you pass the gate. Then, you stop, and your jaw drops as you see the massive curtain of water tumbling into the rift stretching ahead of you. But, this is just the beginning. The gorge continues on and on as you continue to walk. Eventually you reach the end of Zambia, totally soaked to the skin, camera gear screaming for mercy, and the curtain of water disappears into a cloud of mist where it crosses the border to Zimbabwe.
It was at this point that I stopped and watched three tourists, far more prepared than me, with a guide and ponchos, gaze upon what is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
My first trip to Africa was entirely inspired by a forwarded e-mail showing people swimming in the Devil’s Pool right on the edge of Victoria Falls. In order to do this we had to go at low water, which was an incredible experience. However, I can safely say that a return at high water was necessary to truly appreciate the grandeur of the falls.
Where you can see the fall in this picture is where we walked across the last time we were here, it was bone dry. This time, mist swirled everywhere and it didn’t take long for me to get completely soaked.
Here’s another shot of Godafoss, taken from the bank opposite the bustling parking lot full of tour buses and tourists snapping away frantically before moving on to their next destination. The scene opposite was the exact opposite of the serenity offered by this bank.
Today’s photo is of Detifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Iceland, and I’m stood right on the edge. I’ve talked about my fear of heights before on this blog, while photographing the Victoria Falls in Zambia. For some reason, I managed to avoid getting too worked up at this one. My travel buddy on the other hand had a bit of an episode. I didn’t realize it at the time, but she’d frozen right on the cliff edge a bit further down the gorge while I was taking the photo at the end of this post. Apparently she had to talk herself back to sanity and then crawled her way up to safety. She did manage to snap this photo of me just before I descended to get good and close to the torrent though:
I feel kind of bad for not realizing that my travel buddy was in a bit of distress, but I’m pretty sure she’ll agree that this photo was worth it:
Ah, Victoria Falls… I may be seeing you again soon. I just hope I can get over this bloody flu before flying out in two days!!!
This photo shows the view of Svartifoss, from a distance, as you approach this stunning waterfall. From this far it looks like a trickle of water falling upon dry rock, where the water just disappears. In actual fact, as can be seen in my other pictures, this water does crash down onto boulders, but forms a large crystal blue pool and a fast flowing stream through the gorge.
After slogging for over a half hour uphill in a light rain this was a great sight to see, letting us know we were getting close. It’s funny despite the bleak weather and days both mine and my travel buddy’s spirits were very high. It’s amazing how happy we were on a rain soaked path in the middle of the bright night with little idea of how far we had to walk to get here!
I’ve decided to have a bit of a contest to see who can be the first to post the name of this waterfall (I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t because I can’t remember what it’s called). It was an incredible site. The cliffs are arranged in a horseshoe shape and the water tumbles off in this semicircular surrounding way.
