davidwaldman
FollowBeaver falls is located at Supai, Havasupai Reservation, Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County
Beaver falls is located at Supai, Havasupai Reservation, Grand Canyon National Park, Coconino County
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo of Beaver Falls was taken at Supai, Havasupai Reservation, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The only way to access Beaver falls is by hiking and it is an all day hike but well worth it! Beaver falls is 12 miles roundtrip from the village of Supai (we stayed at the hotel in the village) or 8 miles roundtrip from the campground. You have three options of getting down to Supai village- Hiking, Horses or Helicopter. Beaver falls is one of five amazing waterfalls that you can see while hiking in the Havasupai reservation.Time
We got an early start from Supai village (5 am) and made it to Beaver falls just before noon and I started photographing before lunch.Lighting
The sun was a problem when I was photographing Beaver falls and I did have some camera flare in a couple of my shots I took. However, the high noon sun really made the travertine pop in the picture. We went in March and the falls were in shadow by 1 pm so get an early start to have more flexibility with the natural lighting.Equipment
I used a Nikon D90 with my 70-200mm f2.8 lens at 70mm, f/22, ISO 200 for 1/60 of a second in RAW mode on a Manfrotto tripod. A wide angle lens would have been my preference for this shot but my 70-200mm lens was the best glass I had at the time.Inspiration
Absolute gorgeous travertine pools made me want to take multiple pictures of Beaver falls. I did go into the water and took other shots but this is the view where I ate my lunch at and I wanted to capture this in my photo.Editing
I hiked with relatives to Beaver falls and they were having a blast...but I really didn't want people in my shot so I took multiple photo's, stitched them together and eliminated the people from my final image in Adobe Photoshop CS5.In my camera bag
I have since purchased a Nikon D600 to replace my D90. Besides this, I own a 28-70mm f.28, 70-200mm f2.8, Nikon Speedlight SB-800, 50mm prime lens and a Manfrotto 680B monopod which I carry in a Lowepro Flipside 400AW.Feedback
Be prepared and do your research thoroughly in advance of your trip on where you are going and make the journey a safe and memorable one. For example, the hike to Beaver falls (whether from the campground or village) is a moderate hike because of the length. Be prepared to get an early start to get to your destination at the time of day you want to capture the image. The hike to Beaver falls is exposed in parts and you will be crossing the water twice so be prepared for the environment you are going in. A broken in pair of hiking boots for the trail, water shoes for the water crossing, walking stick(s) (you never know how deep the water is your crossing,), a hat, water and food, and of course your camera equipment.