On our first day in Iceland, we went straight to Vik, only stopping at the must-see destinations along the way. Skógafoss was one of those. The reason for our haste was that Vik itself has some good destinations too, such as the black sand beach Reynisfjara. And of course, I wanted to catch that beach at sunset. Last but not least, we were also racing weather. Well, we did not beat the weather. It wasn't unsafe driving (that came the next day), but it was enough to make the destinations near Vik rather unmemorable. Well, not unmemorable, just unpleasant. Clouds settled in, as did 50 mph winds, making me unable to even open my camera on the beach. It's hard to believe that the weather change was so abrupt (although we were amply warned of this fact). We had near-perfect weather at Skógafoss, only a few hours earlier! Had I know just how crummy it would get, I would have spent more time exploring and enjoying this majestic waterfall, and its beautiful surrounding landscape.

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For some of my photographs, I record and post the entire Photoshop editing process from start to finish. This is one of those photos, and you can see watch the recording here: "Skogafoss from Above" editing procedure on Youtube.

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I have a few other photographs of Black Rock Falls on my website, which honestly I prefer to this one. That's because to me, what makes this waterfall special is the amazing environment that surrounds it. Things like lush ferns, moss dripping with moisture, and giant roots intertwining with the rock faces. In fact, those attributes are not only what make this waterfall special, but what make all of Uvas Canyon special. This photograph doesn't feature those attributes as much, but rather focuses on just the general shape and flow of the waterfall. While it has less visual intrigue, photographs like this do serve a purpose, for those seeking to simply learn more about this location.

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This is the kind of scene that if it were in the Appalachian Mountains, it would not be the same. (Or so I imagine.) Every waterfall I know on the East Coast that looks like this is overrun with tourists. Kids just can't seem to help themselves from sliding down the rocks and busting their bums. But here at Golden Cascade, deep in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, I was practically by myself. But maybe it's not an East Coast vs West Coast thing. Could be the fact that it's a six mile, semi-strenuous hike to get here. Could also be that for several months out of the year, these mountains don't get much rain, and this waterfall wouldn't be "slide-able." In fact, maybe it would never really be slideable, because there's not much of a pool at the bottom. But something tells me that they'd have built a road anyways, and at the very least it'd be a tourist trap.

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I often hear friends from the east coast say "I think I would miss fall too much," regarding moving west. Or even my friends who are out here already say that they do miss fall. This always confuses me, because there is certainly an autumn here in Northern California. It's true, many of the landscapes are dominated by evergreens or other trees that don't change color. But plenty of pockets of hardwoods do exist that change color in a brilliant display. You simply have to know where to look. My favorite place for fall in the Bay Area is Uvas Canyon, about a half hour outside of San Jose. On this visit, it was the forest floor which captivated me, especially the ways in which the leaves and streams interacted with one another. In this photograph, a lone leaf remains on the rocks of Granuja Falls, while his comrades have already left him behind.

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This is a photograph of Charlie Falls, a large waterfall on the Highlands Plateau of North Carolina, near Lake Glenville. It's a stunning waterfall, locating right in the middle of a large clearing. But what's great about it is the variety of compositions it offers. You can scramble down the stream to get the standard "upstream waterfall" composition. Or you can jump into the forest to make it look like a hidden gem. But perhaps one of its most unique features is the large mossy boulders at its base. Not only do they make for unique photograph compositions, they make for a unique viewing experience in person, too. And on top of that, they are great for other things, like picnics, boulder climbing, or just lounging around!

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This is a photograph of Silver Run Falls, near Cashiers, in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. However, even some locals wouldn't be able to identify it immediately. That's because the iconic view of Silver Run Falls is the one right when you first see it. It's more of an angled view, that shows the separation between the water and the cliff face. The view pictured here, although simpler, is rarer to see. You have to wade across the large (frigid) pond at base of the falls to get this straight-on view. It's easy enough to do, but nevertheless many people don't. The reason is probably because in addition to the iconic view being easier, it's also more interesting. Admittedly, this view shows less of the interest rock face which makes the falls so cool. But I do like it, for other reasons. It turns the scene from dramatic to intimate. It also draws attention to the source of the waterfall, above the cliff. I'm always intrigued by the headwaters above waterfalls. To me they seem beautifully mysterious... peaceful but fragile and precarious, as if full of pent up energy.

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The dramatic waterfalls of Krka National Park, Croatia, cascade down a travertine canyon – the largest such formation in Europe. The beautiful formations you can see under the water look like rocks or moss, but are actually tufa. Tufa is an iconic part of some mineral springs, like Mono Lake, but also forms in some rivers. When a river lacks organic content and has supersaturation in calcite, the turbulence of the waterfall can trigger precipitation onto moss or algae. It is said to be a good building material, but the tufa in Krka is now protected from removal. I'm glad for that, because it sure did add a beautiful uniqueness to this famous waterfall.

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The Berry Creek Falls trail is my favorite hike in Big Basin Redwoods. It's one of the best (and one of the few) places to find waterfalls in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The most well known are the eponymous Berry Creek Falls, and Upper Golden Cascade. Berry Creek Falls gets renown because it's a classic type of waterfall, and has a relatively long drop. Upper Golden is adored because of its irregularity: large sheet flow over oddly golden stone. (As an aside, the orange color comes from brown algae living in the porous stone). But the lower section of Golden Cascade was a surprise favorite for me. I loved the surrounding setting. It's more like an intimate scene from a fairy-tale than a grand majestic vista. We stopped here for an extended lunch break, and I took my time poking around. The more I looked, the more I saw. I love the ferns that adorn the cliff's overhang. I love massive roots that appear to hold the precipice together. The whole setting was an escape from reality, and I didn't want to leave.

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Schoolhouse Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in North Carolina's Panthertown Valley. The locals know this waterfall well, but doesn't have much of a wider renown. In this photograph, I tried to highlight the exquisite granite that forms the waterfall. Specifically, I tried to capture a large vein of different rock within the main granite, and have that vein lead the eye from the foreground towards the waterfall. If you look, you can see the vein going straight through the main foreground stone. With an open mind, you can kind of see what I was going for. But I just couldn't get it to be a prominent feature of the photograph... it just couldn't compete with the drama of the beautiful waterfall itself.

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