With its close proximity to Portland and Mount Hood National Forest, the Columbia River Gorge lines the beautiful Columbia River and Highway 84 and is an outdoor lover’s dream. Dramatic cliffs, intimate canyons, and numerous beautiful waterfalls characterize this place, surrounded by rows of Douglas Firs and temperate rainforest that blankets the landscape in the most dramatic greens you will ever see. Add on the relative easiness of the trails and quick access from the highway, and the Columbia River Gorge becomes a place you must experience if you love landscape photography. However, having experienced this place more than once, I’ve realized there are tips to photographing this place that can really make or break your trip. Here are five that I believe are most important to follow.
1. Go early in the day
The Columbia River Gorge has always been a popular destination for locals, but now that it has been consistently thrust into the social media spotlight, it is packed with visitors from all around the world. It has gotten so overcrowded during the day that local authorities are looking at ways to limit traffic so they can protect this beautiful place. With that said, if you do not start your day early, around 5:00-6:00 am, popular spots like Oneonta Gorge, Latourell Falls, and Multnomah Falls will be crawling with people, no matter the time of year. If you want to have the place to yourself, and you don’t want to spend time editing people out of your shots, you have to be willing to get up with the sun. Pack a headlamp, go with friends, and that way, you can really get some personal, uninterrupted time with Gorge.
Oh, and after you’ve successfully photographed in the morning, treat yourself to one of the best breakfasts you’ll ever have at the Multnomah Lodge. Smoked salmon hash, homemade biscuits and gravy, and a fresh cup of joe, all while enjoying a view of Multnomah Falls from the patio, will make your early start beyond worth it.
2. Skip the summer months
There are two main reasons why you should skip Columbia River Gorge in the summer.
First, there are the crowds. While the crowds are bad year round, the Gorge is a madhouse in the summer. The warmer weather and water bring in people of all ages and spells disaster for any serious photographer wanting tranquility and isolation to capture beautiful photos.
Second, the spring months are simply better to visit, and in my opinion, May is the best month to make the trip. Snow melt and rain makes water levels rise and the waterfalls become incredible to photograph. I have been in May and August, and the difference is very noticeable, and since the Gorge is known for its waterfalls, you should go when they’ll be at their best.
3. Be ready to get wet — even soaked
The Columbia River Gorge is in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, so that means you should always have a rain jacket handy. However, the biggest threat to getting wet doesn’t come from the sky. There is a serious chance you could get very wet traversing to places like Oneonta Falls, where the trail includes a fun detour of following the river upstream. The water levels can go from ankle-deep to chest-high very quickly, especially when the water levels are higher in the spring. Combine high water levels with cold water temperatures, and that could really surprise and overwhelm people who aren’t prepared. In addition, most of the waterfalls in the Gorge are big and powerful, and if you stand anywhere near them, you will get soaked. That’s practically a guarantee.
With that being said, make sure to wear footwear and clothing you are comfortable getting wet. Always bring a weather-resistant or waterproof camera backpack and put all your electronics and camera equipment safely away when doing anything near high water or big waterfalls. While traversing through these elements can add to the adventure, it can also add to the misery when you realize you’ve ruined your camera or lenses by being careless.
4. Pack a tripod, neutral density filter, shutter trigger, and a wide angle lenses
In terms of equipment you need to bring, you need need to take the essentials for shooting any quick moving water or waterfalls:
- A lightweight travel tripod that has the capability to turn into a monopod for easy, on the go shooting. You want to be able to have solid, trustworthy legs for your camera, especially around water. My favorite travel tripod I use is the Dolica Odyssey Travel Edition Tripod. It’s made of carbon fiber so it’s incredibly lightweight for the build quality. It can hold up to 40 pounds, and extend out to 70 inches high. You can put any camera on this tripod and never worry about it falling over and ruining your gear.
- A neutral density filter, preferably one with 2-8 stops at the very least. The Gorge lights up quickly, and when it does, it makes things much more challenging if you don’t have a neutral density filter with you. Think of it as sunglasses for your lenses, blocking out light, and allowing for slower shutter speeds that can capture the water movement and create that fluidity you’re looking for without washed out, overexposed images. Since slower shutter speeds allow for more light to be captured in your camera’s sensor, you have to counter balance that effect with a neutral density filter. It is crucial to carry these for all of your lenses when shooting waterfalls and any type of landscape photography. It can extend the amount of daylight you can shoot in, and give you more control over your photography with increased depth of field.
- A shutter remote, preferably wireless, is really nice to have, because manually pressing buttons can throw off a camera shooting with a low shutter speed.
- Finally, a wide angle lens, between 12-30mm zoom range. The Gorge is full of incredibly beautiful destinations, but the majority of them are in tighter spaces and narrow slot canyons. Pack a wide angle lens that can allow for you to capture more of your subject, without having to continue to scoot back or adjust the shot you want.
5. Finally, leave no trace of your visit, and respect this beautiful place
We are lucky that generations before us took it upon themselves to protect beautiful places, like the Columbia River Gorge. Now, it’s our turn to do the same, and make sure the next generation of photographers will be able to experience this incredible place and visually document its beauty.
However, last September, several teens did the opposite, and out of sheer ignorance, launched fireworks into a section of Columbia River Gorge that was incredibly dry, sparking a raging fire that burned over 50,000 acres and destroyed everything in its path. It took three months to contain the Eagle Creek Fire, and it will take years for this beautiful place to recover.
This world is beautiful, but it is also fragile, and the Eagle Creek Fire showed this. If we do not take care of our planet and the places that make it so special, we will continue to see destruction and places wiped off the map. If you go to the Columbia River Gorge, or anywhere that deserves respect, make sure to cherish and protect it. Leave no trace and photograph in ways that won’t cause any harm to the environment, ecosystem, and wildlife. A trip to the Columbia River Gorge will be one that you never forget, but make sure to respect this beautiful place so that it never goes unforgotten or unprotected.
