Bridal Veil Falls (Index)

Author's Comments

Late May, mid afternoon, and the falls are running at full snowmelt volume. This is when Bridal Veil deserves the trip. The water comes off the south face of Mount Index in tiers that you cannot fully see from any single vantage, and the spur trail off the Lake Serene path puts you in front of the lower section, which is the section that will get you wet. I mean that literally. The spray reaches the viewing area, and on a warm afternoon when the volume is high, your lens will be beaded within thirty seconds. I have learned to bring a microfiber cloth and to work in short bursts, wiping between exposures. A long exposure here is the obvious choice and it is obvious for a reason. The water moves with so much force that even a half second smooths it into something closer to silk, and the dark wet rock behind it holds the contrast you need. But I would also encourage the vertical frame. The falls are tall in a way that does not photograph well horizontally. Turn the camera, include some of the forest at the base for scale, and let the cascade do what it wants to do, which is climb out of the top of your composition. You will not fit all 1,328 feet in. You are not supposed to. Afternoon light, when the sun has come around far enough to catch the upper tiers, is when this place gives you everything it has. Earlier in the day the falls sit in their own shadow. Wait for the light to find them.

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