Following the Cass Fall Photography Workshop, I made the trip down to Pigeon Forge to see the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time.  My two priorities for the trip were spending time in Cades Cove and shooting as many waterfalls as possible.  While I was successful on the first goal, sunny weather all week made waterfall photography a challenge.  But the sunny weather brought great sunsets and clear night skies on Clingman’s Dome so like all photography adventures, it was just a matter of chasing the light.

To keep the length reasonable, I’m going to split the trip report into three sections:  Waterfalls & Cascades, Sunsets & Night Photography and Cades Cove.

First up is Waterfalls.  As I mentioned earlier, many of the waterfalls are difficult to shoot on bright sunny days.  Dappled light and harsh shadows make for a difficult exposure, so instead of hiking the waterfalls back to back as I planned, getting decent waterfall shots became a game of shooting in the shadows.  After some quick research on the topography surrounding the waterfalls, I was able to guess when the surrounding hills would leave them in shadow, making for an easier exposure.

Big Creek Cascades

Midnight Hole

Midnight Hole Cascades

Mouse Creek Falls

Baskins Creek Falls

Grotto Falls

Laurel Falls

Lynn Camp Cascades

Spruce Flats Falls

All things considered, I’m happy with the waterfall shots I was able to get and since I didn’t get them all, I guess I’ll have to go back!

Check back in two weeks for Part 2 – Sunset & Night Photography.