Punchbowl Falls, Oregon

(click image to see on black)

This is an amazing waterfall, one of the most photographed as well. It is hidden back on Eagle Creek which is situated in the Columbia Gorge, sort of where I grew up. And for you avid cliff jumpers out there, the left side of this waterfall has a platform for taking great leaps. I took such a leap a number of years back, in my youth :). And I still remember the bruising my butt cheeks took. After I took my leap I had some onlookers tell me that just the previous week EMS was called out to haul some poor guy out who broke something from doing the same thing. Needless to say, that was my first and last jump.

I took this shot about a year ago, I forgot my fishing waders so my feet were freezing as the water doesn't warm up much at all in Oregon no matter what time of year. And behind me was my sister who was watching 3 kids so I could get the perfect shot. It was in the middle of the day, and amazingly I was able to get a descent shot that didn't have the highlights all blown out. However, I did have to take advantage of some HDR software, which I don't normally like to do.

This shot is a blend of 5 exposures which were brought into Photomatix, and then touched up and rebounded with an additional exposure in Photoshop.

Again, 16X24 canvas prints are available for $175. Contact me directly (montesjesse@psmail.net), or visit our website: http://montesphotography.com/