For one of my days off this week I started the morning off with a hike to High Falls on the Canadian side of the river, in Pigeon River Provincial Park. Regular followers of my photography know that I often photograph the falls from the U.S. side, but it's been quite a long time since I've photographed it from the Canadian side. Since the river opened up just about a week ago I figured it was a good time to make the venture to the other side.
It was a very difficult prospect getting this shot. The temperature had dipped down below freezing overnight and with the water level at the falls being quite high, all the spray was blowing right up into the overlook area and freezing into a layer of ice on everything. The ground, rocks, trees and railings were all coated in ice. On the U.S. side this wouldn't be much of a problem as there is a nice level boardwalk to walk on. On the Canadian side, however, it's just bare ground and that ground is anything but flat.
It was quite an adventure staying upright while trying to get to the railing and the view of the falls. And, once I got there, it took several attempts before I got a shot where the lens wasn't completely covered in freezing water droplets. In between shots I would have to turn around, putting my back to the spray and wipe the lens clean. Then I would cover the lens with my hand, turn back around and try to get just one shot before the water hit the lens again. The water coated the lens pretty much instantly once I pulled my hand away. I think it took at least 20 attempts before I got a reasonably clean image. This one still had a few water droplets on it, but I was able to use the healing brush in Lightroom to remove the spots. As usual, all of that effort was worth it and I came away with a great shot of the falls and the full rainbow in front of it. Time well spent, I'd say!
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