1 day 3 waterfalls
You probably know now that my favorite places are the ones tucked in a corner of a mountain or a river, extra points if they are hidden from major passageways. Whether they are trees or waterfalls, regardless of their size, I let seasons guide my eyes to capture what nature, as unaltered as possible, offers.
Today will not exactly be that. Today I am taking you to 3 waterfalls that make the holy grail of waterfall touring in the north of the country. Spread over 2 different administrative regions, a little short of a 2 hours drive from Seoul and only 40ish km - 25 miles away from the northern neighbor, these 3 waterfalls used to be jaw-dropping jewels anyone could experience up close. Now, however, 2 of them are on UNESCO’s world heritage list, understand inaccessible for preservation, and 1 has been given a similar treatment without the world heritage shine… yet.
But I will not let those restrictions prevent me from showing you some of local nature’s best. I’m taking you to a world of vivid summer green and deep turquoise.
재인폭포 - Jaein waterfall
The mandatory shot #1.
The mandatory shot #2.
Now that you have seen the grand view of Jaein Waterfall, let’s turn our sights to more intimate images. But first, the context:
10 am. I thought the site opened at that time so I arrived early to beat the morning crowd to the suspension bridge. Sadly I had been misguided by the Korean equivalent to Google, Naver: there is no real opening hour here! It means that tourists were already crowding viewpoints. It also means that the suspension was very shaky. It has been a trend in Korea to build those types of bridges in mountains lately. Photographers, though happy to gain access to a new perspective that way, aren’t quite happy about the lack of stability they offer. So please keep in mind that, for the majority of the following images, there is a crowd around me that is shaking the support my tripod is resting on. Not my kind of environment, of course, but nature’s show is always worth the inconvenience.
On the left side of the gorge, a few trees challenge gravity and hang from the cliff face. They were what I hoped to find so I could shoot more intimate compositions. I also hoped that the basalt columns forming the canyon walls would help me compose vertical images, but the cliff was too eroded so I couldn’t get that help. Nonetheless, let’s get closer.
Thanks to the mindful shutter speed settings I unlocked in the last blog, this is the shape of the water I managed to capture. I can’t help but stare at it. If my shutter speed was a little longer the water would have been a single white column. At this speed, however, you can see how the water fell off the cliff edge in random waves. I feel the speed of that crashing water more this way, do you too?
This oak has seen better days. I have a feeling it won’t be there much longer. Though it is sad to see it in such a poor shape, I don’t mind the dead branches, they add texture in contrast to the smoother-looking water.
Look at this specimen! It is aiming up at that 45° angle, seemingly unaffected by gravity. I can’t help but feel like a mere vulnerable human in front of such strength… strength and grandness! Its overall shape is like a multi-ended trident. Stunning.
It is a minute detail but the fall starts in the “middle” of the frame on top to reach the bottom slightly to the right. That seemingly minor fact actually balances the image in a major way. In these intimate images, I’ve come to realize that it is these tiny details that can make or break a composition. I am so grateful for the wind at that instant to have slanted the waterfall that way.
As I followed the mandatory path around the waterfall, I arrived at the last platform over the gorge that reveals this slim tree trunk covered in moss and growing low colorful limbs. It also frames the fall perfectly in a V shape. I wish the platform extended a little more so I could have placed the fall more in the middle of that V shape, but I am content, either way. The foreground is so vibrant, how not to be!
비들기낭폭포 - bidulginang Waterfall
Time to leave one gorge for another gorge. This waterfall is a true gem, carved in the basalt ground that formed the area an eternity ago. It is lower than the previous one and doesn’t have that grand aura. What it has, though, is an emerald pool surrounded by green trees. Basically, it’s a green hole in the ground with water running through it!
Do you see what I mean by a green hole? I should have added busy between green and hole!
Also, the only way to admire this true beauty is from a wooden set of stairs and platforms. Some sets are 2 human shoulder to shoulder wide… again not my kind of environment but once my eyes dove into this lush green pool… the crowd didn’t exist anymore.
Welcome to a mono-color world.
I’m slowly getting closer, still looking for details to catch my eyes. But so far all I see is green maples, and I can’t help thinking that this place in fall will be glorious!
I’m not sure what this tree is but I’ll focus on it further at the end of this segment. For now, it offers a pleasant break from the eroded wall cave shape.
This image is all about parallel lines. I feel a lack of stability in this image, I see the lacking of this composition so I was hesitant about posting it. What do you think?
In this photo, I tried to capture the contrast that makes this place unique. There is also something about the way the left tree and the waterfall divide the space that makes this image feel strong. And the dead branch also offers a crucial texture detail.
I do enjoy this panorama for its documentary value and its simplicity. But it lacks the leaf texture that truly gives this canyon its identity.
So I went to that platform a short distance downstream and it offered a view that summarizes this place: a waterfall surrounded by trees. From here, it feels like a site tucked away inside an impenetrable forest…
I want to conclude this spot with the following 2 images in bookmark format.
I was fascinated by the little fruits (flower buds? or acorn?) growing underneath the leaves. I looked for ways to create stable images that would symbolize the peace of nature. Here is the result.
If you know the name of this tree, please tell me, I want to know.
삼부연폭포 - Sambuyeon Waterfall
After visiting the previous 2 waterfalls, and having a fantastic lunch, torrential rain poured down for most of the afternoon. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to shoot the last waterfall but luck was on my side, rain stopped for 30 minutes so I could capture the following images along with my wife and my monthly photo (that you can see on my Instagram page).
I was worried the darkness I was actually in would kill the colors but I’m quite pleased with the final render.
I was impressed by how the water carved the hill to such an extent that the ground became a cliff, sometimes even an overhanging wall.
In this image, I wanted to show the textures in the rock face. Cracks grow in random directions, it almost feels like an old man’s face. Plus a few million years of extra wisdom…
Today’s final photo is a reflection of the first image: a vertical, encompassing view. If you would go back to that first image you would, even though they are both waterfalls, appreciate how diverse they are. Nature is a complete artist!
To capture this image, I waited a long while until a wisp of cloud formed above the falls. By virtue of nature’s generosity, again, I found that this wisp is a reflection of the waterfall’s shape. In fact, this composition is a complex gathering of various shapes. Far from my usual simple and stable style, but it works!
I want to conclude with bad news… While entering a local stream last weekend, the rock I was standing on let go, I fell and a small boulder crashed on my left leg. By the craziest of luck, my injuries are only superficial cuts, bad muscle bruises and a light knee sprain, my bones are fine.
I wanted to tell you this so that, if you follow me on social networks, you would know why I have not posted recently…
I hope to recover quickly and be back on the trails, the sunset season is coming, and I don’t want to miss it!
Map to 재인폭포 - Jaein waterfall (the first one):
Map to 비들기낭폭포 - bidulginang Waterfall (the second one):
Map to 삼부연폭포 - Sambuyeon Waterfall (the third one):
Thank you ever so much for reading about this eventful day. Clearly, famous tourist places aren’t the type of places I like shooting at but I have to admit that these places are, at the minimum, remarkable. So, I hope you will forgive me for this more descriptive blog post and that the images above made you dream of visiting the breathtaking places they portrait.
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A bientôt!
