Johnston Canyon in a short hike that follows a stream that has cut and carved a most unique landmark. There are two falls, Lower and Upper. The image above was taken at Upper Falls. Getting to Upper Falls is what makes this hike a number one destination for tourists and photographers alike. You see a good portion of the trail is a raised narrow walkway that is attached to the side of a cliff! In fact, most of the places for taking pictures are small narrow areas, which means a tripod is the worst thing you could use when numerous people are trying view and take pictures in the same spot; a tripod is also a must when shooting waterfalls. Because of this inherent problem I recommend getting here as early as the light allows. You could do later in the day but people are more apt to stay up late then rise before the sun. If you do not arrive early you WILL have people ruining your shot in more ways then one.

Now the image that this story is about takes place at the very end of the canyon trail, it is called Upper Falls. It has two viewing platforms; upper and lower. Both consist of a raised metal grate, except that the lower platform's grate is only 3 feet wide and there really is only one spot that allows for the best angle when shooting the waterfall. So imagine I get there and only a few people are in my way. I am patient and soon it is my turn to have a go at this prime corner spot. I didn't want my bag in the way so I told my friend to go stand in it while I got my camera and tripod out. It was at this time I knew I was going to be in trouble. More people were just entering the viewing area. I quickly squeezed over to my friend and began to set the tripod up. After a few shots I had my composure down, attached the gradated filter and was ready to go, but wait… what is that I feel. Oh crap! This platform it moving with every step and twitch a person makes. I think to myself perhaps during steps I can squeeze a shot in. Well after ten minutes my theory bombed. I been unable to achieved a sharp image and a line was forming behind me as people waited for my spot. I could see eyes glaring my direction but I told myself to be firm. I eventual resorting to trying to explain that if everyone just stopped moving I could get my shot and be out of the way but as soon as I got everyone on board more people would enter the grated area. People were squeezing and pushing to get a better view. I was able to get a few shots but it is a waterfall and well after waiting a few minutes my filters would be covered in water droplets, so the shots I did achieve still didn't work due to my negligence on keeping my lens covered. Eventually my patience won out and I was able to get ONE shot the way I wanted it. So the moral of this story is always get to your location as early as possible to avoid crowds of angry tourists.

One last thing I would like to point out about my image "Hang on Tight." If you notice, the title of the image has nothing to do with the waterfall or water at all. When I took this photo my focus was on those amazing trees gripping that cliff for dear life. I thought it showed a great lesson; no matter what you are giving in life as long as do not give up you can succeed. So in short, I took this image to showcase those wonderful trees, the waterfall was just an afterthought that made the background interesting