368 - Panther Creek Falls
*Note: This adventure also features an in-field vlog.
Some place you show up to photograph have a strange vibe- and that was certainly the case at Panther Creek Falls in Washington.
Originally we were planning on shooting Tunnel Falls, but we had no idea it was a 10+ mile hike. Since we were near Falls Creek Falls already, we decided upon Panther Creek Falls because it was relatively close-by, and my buddy told me it's epic. Spoiler alert, it was- with a twist.
We slept the night at the trailhead no problem, and woke up at 6:00AM to catch the waterfall at dawn. Upon exiting our van, we were immediately greeted with the word "danger" spray painted crudely on the pavement, followed by some more spray-painted arrows pointing to the trailhead. A little concerning, but not something we hadn't ever seen before.
(By the way I VLOGGED this shoot if you wanna see all this in real life.)
After about 5 minutes of heading down the trail, we were met with a cross-roads. You can either split off to go to the top of the waterfall, or down to the bottom. We decided to hit the top first, because it was closer. On the walk down, we saw THREE signs all talking about how dangerous the waterfall was. And then upon arrival, there was a memorial stuck into a tree with flowers, words, and photos of a 23 year old girl that fell off the waterfall.
It definitely put a damper on the whole scene- which was ridiculously gorgeous, by the way.
You can easily see where she fell off too... There's a (very) sketchy walkway covered in wet moss that let's you look like you're "standing on the waterfall." I looked 100ft. below and saw jagged rocks sticking out, and imagined the chick's head splitting open. Yeah... This isn't what I came here to visualize.
We decided to head down to the bottom of the falls to see if there's a better photo opportunity. Annnnnnd this is where the money shot is. My mind's darkened state quickly began to fade as I got more and more immersed in the vibrant scene.
There was ferns EVERYWHERE, another waterfall behind it, rocks, and a MASSIVE log right in the middle of the stream. It was absolutely beautiful. The waterfall was so wide that water was just hitting rocks everywhere and creating a beautiful web of pathways.
I had to hop the fence to get close enough for any type of reasonable shot. I'm 99% sure that the fence was put up to prevent more people from getting hurt here, but given that the whole area in front of it was just dirt and rocks, I didn't feel too bad hopping it.
Here's the shot I ended up getting:
That composition actually took me quite a long time to figure out. I wanted to use the log, but it was difficult for me to figure out HOW to use it without it overtaking the waterfall. So using it as a framing device/leading line was key here.
Obviously the wide angle lens was a must too. I can't find many waterfall situations where it isn't. I'm so fucking glad I bought the 17-28mm right before this trip. I use it like every other shoot.
Overall, 9/10 location, 5/10 presentation. I feel for the family of the girl that died, but being reminded of it every step of the way was a little much. There had to be at least 7 different signs along the entire trail. There's so much negativity in the news and on social media nowadays, many come to nature to escape it. I get that they're trying to prevent others from meeting a similar fate, but the reality is people die everywhere, all the time. One sign should do, not a million. And a little common sense goes a long way.
Alright, rant over. This place was ridiculously awesome. If you're in the area, check it out! We saw a bunch of PCT trail hikers along the way, apparently this is a popular detour.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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