Ever since I was young, waterfalls have fascinated me. Years ago at my old synagogue in Chicago, there were photos of nature hanging on the wall, a couple of them were waterfalls. I remember staring at them, almost entranced, wondering how something so simple, water falling over stone, could look so magical. Somewhere deep inside, I think that was the moment the seed was planted: one day, I would go out and capture waterfalls myself.
Now, years later, photographing waterfalls has become more than a passion. It’s an obsession, a spiritual practice, a collection I am proud of, almost like collecting coins, except each “coin” is a moment in nature where water, rock, and light come together in perfect artistry.
Capturing God’s Artistry Through Photography
Waterfalls are masterpieces of God’s artistry. Water finds its way over stone, carving paths, shaping canyons, and creating endless variations of beauty.
As a photographer, slow shutter speeds unlock another dimension. By using long exposure techniques, the rushing water transforms into silky ribbons and ethereal blurs. The camera reveals a hidden language something the human eye can’t fully see in real time. Every image becomes both a photograph and a painting, a collaboration between nature’s design and the lens.
Each waterfall is different. Some thunder with raw power, others whisper gently into mossy pools. Some require hours of hiking, others are found just off the road. What unites them all is the way they draw me in, both as an artist and as a human being searching for beauty in the world.
Here are some of the highlights from my growing collection, a journey that spans states, forests, mountains, and even continents.
The Magic of New England
New England has a special kind of beauty that makes chasing vistas, nature and waterfalls here unforgettable. The landscape is a mix of rugged mountains, quiet forests, and streams that seem to appear out of nowhere, carving their way through granite and tumbling into hidden pools. In the summer, the greenery makes the falls feel alive and fresh, while in the fall the backdrop explodes with color, turning every waterfall and scenic vista into a painting framed by reds, oranges, and golds.
Artists Bluff, Franconia Notch, NH
What I love most about New England waterfalls is the variety. Some are powerful drops that thunder through gorges, others are gentle cascades that spread wide across rocks like lace. Places like the White Mountains in New Hampshire or the Green Mountains in Vermont are full of the, tucked into state parks, along scenic byways, or hidden down side trails. For a photographer, it’s a dream. Every season and every angle brings out something different in the water, the stone, and the light. New England reminds me that waterfalls don’t always have to be the tallest or the biggest to leave an impression; sometimes the quiet ones are the ones that stay with you the longest.
The White Mountains, New Hampshire – A Waterfall Paradise
The White Mountains of New Hampshire are one of the most enchanting regions in the Northeast for chasing waterfalls. Within Franconia Notch State Park, Crawford Notch, and along the winding Kancamagus Highway, water has been shaping the granite for thousands of years, carving basins, gorges, and cascades that feel both ancient and alive. From the iconic Basin and Sabbaday Falls to hidden gems like Lost River Gorge and Diana’s Baths, every trail seems to lead to another surprise. Autumn paints the backdrop in fiery colors, while summer makes the pools inviting for a dip. For photographers, it’s a dream. Each fall offers new angles, textures, and moods, especially when captured with slow shutter to reveal the silky blur of water in motion. The White Mountains aren’t just a place to hike; they’re a living gallery of God’s artistry, where water and rock are forever in dialogue.
Diana’s Baths – North Conway, NH
Diana’s Baths is a series of cascades, pools, and ledges that stretch across the rocks like nature’s staircase. Each level has its own rhythm. Some rushing, some trickling, some forming still pools perfect for reflection. It’s a place where you can wander up and down, framing a dozen different compositions in one visit. With slow shutter photography, the overlapping flows blur into soft ribbons, creating layers of motion that feel almost musical. It’s one of those rare spots where you don’t just see the waterfall — you explore it.
Sabbaday Falls
A wide and powerful fan of water, glowing in sunlight. The mix of rust-colored stone and white spray feels both violent and peaceful, like nature showing off range.
Franconia Notch Falls – New Hampshire
Tucked into the White Mountains, this waterfall is part of the dramatic scenery that makes New England so special. Autumn adds a fiery backdrop of foliage.
The Flume Gorge
Stepping into Flume Gorge feels like walking into another world. Sheer awe. Walls of granite rise high on either side, dripping with moss, while the sound of rushing water echoes like a natural cathedral. The wooden walkways carry you deeper and deeper until you’re completely surrounded, cliffs above, water racing below, spray hanging in the air. It’s humbling, almost overwhelming, to realize how this place was carved: thousands of years of water patiently cutting through solid rock, leaving behind something both wild and welcoming.
Every corner offered a new frame. Avalanche Falls crashing with power, Sentinel Falls flowing with quiet grace, hidden streams weaving through cracks in the stone. With a slow shutter, the water blurred into luminous ribbons, transforming an already magical place into something dreamlike. My trip to Flume Gorge was a reminder of how small we are compared to nature’s persistence, and how fortunate I am to witness and capture even a fraction of that beauty.
Avalanche Falls
A force of nature framed by wooden bridges and mossy cliffs. The sound echoes off the canyon walls an avalanche caught in rewind, over and over.
Sentinel Falls
A tall curtain of water sliding down dark stone into a quiet pool. The wooden path off to the side makes you feel like you’ve wandered into a secret theater where the main act is eternal.
The Basin
One of New Hampshire’s icons. A whirlpool carved smooth over thousands of years. Standing here, you can feel time itself moving in slow circles. Smooth, timeless, circular. The Basin isn’t just a waterfall, it’s a sculpture. Water has been carving this granite bowl for millennia, and standing there, you feel like you’re in the hands of something older than memory.
The Rush
A chute of white water carving the rock like a sculptor’s blade. The speed here almost feels impatient, like the mountain couldn’t wait to send it down.
Lost River Gorge Falls – North Woodstock, NH
Hidden inside the granite caves and narrow passages of Lost River Gorge, these small cascades feels secret and intimate. It’s less about size and more about atmosphere — water threading its way through stone as if whispering. With long exposure, it glows like liquid glass.
Moss Glen Falls – Granville, Vermont
A true hidden gem. Mossy, tiered, and enchanting — especially for long exposures where the water seems to glide like silk across the rocks.
North Carolina Waterfalls
Catawba Falls – Pisgah National Forest
Catawba Falls is one of those waterfalls that feels more like a scene than a single drop. The water tumbles and spreads across a huge wall of mossy rock, creating smaller cascades that all join together at the bottom. It’s layered, textured, and always moving in different directions, which makes it a dream to photograph.
The trail to reach it is just as enjoyable, winding through Pisgah National Forest along the river before opening up to the falls. With a slow shutter, the water softens into white streams that weave over the green rocks like threads. It’s a place where you can stand for a long time, finding new angles and details each time you look.’
My 7 year old daughter Rosie snapped this pic of me at the falls 🙂
Moore Cove Falls – Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
Moore Cove Falls is one of those hidden gems in Pisgah National Forest that surprises you with its quiet beauty. The hike is short and easy, but when you reach the end, the waterfall feels like a secret tucked into the woods. The water spills in a thin, delicate sheet over a high rock ledge, dropping into a shallow pool surrounded by moss and ferns.
What makes Moore Cove special is that you can actually walk behind the falls. Standing there, looking out through the veil of water, you get a different perspective — the forest framed through a shimmering curtain. It’s not the biggest waterfall in the area, but it has a calm, almost magical atmosphere that makes it unforgettable.
High Falls – DuPont State Forest, North Carolina
A massive, multi-tiered cascade framed by forest and a covered bridge above. A Southern giant with both elegance and brute force.
Palisade Falls – Gallatin National Forest, Montana
Palisade Falls is one of the most unique waterfalls I’ve visited. Instead of pouring over a wide cliff, it drops straight down through tall columns of volcanic rock, almost like a stone organ in a cathedral. The shape of the basalt makes the waterfall feel dramatic even before you see the water.
The hike to it is short and easy, which makes the sudden view of the falls even more striking. Photographing it is all about capturing both the vertical drop and the wall of rock around it. A slow shutter softens the water into clean white lines that contrast beautifully against the dark, geometric columns. It’s not the biggest waterfall in Montana, but it’s one of the most memorable because of the setting.
Pacific Northwest Waterfalls
Dougan Falls – Washougal River, Washington We randomly came across these falls while driving to our airbnb. Dougan Falls is different from a lot of the tall plunges in the Northwest. Instead of dropping from high cliffs, the water spreads wide and crashes over a shelf of rock into a big swimming hole. It’s powerful but also really inviting, with people often gathering here in the summer to cool off.
As a photographer, it’s a fun waterfall to shoot because of its shape and the way the water breaks into sections as it hits the rock. With a slow shutter, the flow softens and you see the details of how the water moves across the ledge. It’s less dramatic than some of Oregon and Washington’s giant falls, but it has its own character — more open, more approachable, and a reminder that waterfalls can be both wild and welcoming.
Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park
The hike to Marymere Falls is part of what makes it so special. The trail starts off flat and easy, winding through old-growth forest where everything feels oversized, towering trees, thick ferns, moss covering every surface. As you get closer, wooden bridges cross over streams and the sound of rushing water grows louder until the falls finally appear.
Marymere drops in a tall, narrow stream from the cliffs above, framed by moss and greenery. It’s not the biggest waterfall in the park, but the setting makes it feel almost hidden, like you’ve stepped into a fairytale. Photographing it is rewarding because the approach already slows you down, and by the time you set up the shot, you’re completely tuned in to the stillness of the forest and the elegance of the fall.
Madison Falls, Olympic National Park
Madison Falls is one of the easiest waterfalls to reach in Olympic National Park. Just a short walk from the road brings you right up to it, and even though it’s small compared to some of the park’s giants, it’s still beautiful. The water drops in a narrow stream down a mossy rock wall into a clear pool, surrounded by green forest.
It’s a quiet spot, not as crowded as some of the bigger falls, and that makes it easy to take your time with the camera. A slow shutter smooths the drop into a clean white ribbon, and the moss and ferns around it give the photo a really lush Pacific Northwest feel. Simple, peaceful, and worth the stop.
Tamanawas Falls – Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon
Probably my favorite waterfall of all time. The hike to Tamanawas Falls is steady and beautiful, following the creek until you suddenly come to this huge curtain of water dropping straight over a basalt cliff. It’s wide, powerful, and loud, the kind of waterfall that holds your attention the moment you see it.
Photographing it is just as rewarding as the hike. From the front, you get the full wall of water. From the sides, you see the mist and moss-covered rocks that surround it. Shooting with a slow shutter turns the flow into smooth ribbons and really captures the scale of the fall. It’s one of those Oregon spots that’s unforgettable and a perfect addition to my collection.
Punch Bowl Falls – Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
A classic. Known for its “punch bowl” basin and perfectly framed with forest — it’s almost too beautiful to be real.
International Gems
Pailón del Diablo – Baños, Ecuador
One of the most powerful and dramatic waterfalls I’ve ever experienced. Walkways spiral right into the mist, giving photographers jaw-dropping perspectives. After walking down to the lower viewing platform i was awe struck as the mist flowed around me to the sound of thunderous water crashing down, thank God i brought a waterproof bag to protect my camera gear!
Why I Photograph Waterfalls
For me, waterfalls are more than destinations. They’re spiritual encounters. Framing a waterfall is both hunting and prayer a way to pause and honor the artistry of creation.
Each photograph is a reminder: the same God who carved rivers into stone continues to shape our lives. The blurs and flows in my photos echo the mystery of time, movement, and the beauty of what’s unseen until you slow down.
It’s also deeply personal. Each waterfall I capture is part of a collection I’m building — a treasure chest of moments that I’m proud of. Like coins, they’re tokens of wonder, each unique, each carrying a story.
Looking Ahead: A Living Collection
This blog is just the beginning. One day, I may gather these photographs into a book — a collection of waterfalls captured through my lens, paired with reflections on artistry, nature, and spirit.
But for now, the journey continues. I’ll keep chasing waterfalls, adding to this collection, and sharing new captures here. Check back regularly for updates as I keep discovering, framing, and preserving these moving works of art 🙂
