Chasing Waterfalls - Gifberg!
For most people the cold, rainy days of winter are rather uninspiring and drab, but for landscape photographers it means dressing in waterproof clothing (often fashion suicide according to my wife) and climbing mountains to photograph WATERFALLS!
It is hard to explain that feeling when you hear the rumbling of water cascading over rocks long before you even get to your location. I have often thought how ridiculous I must look to passersby as I stand in the middle of a river in my wellies (waterproof boots) clutching my tripod (so that it does not get washed downstream) with the biggest smile on my face!
Around 2 years ago whilst researching waterfall locations on google I came across a farm that has a cave with a waterfall cascading down through the ROOF - I mean what more could you ask for.
Over the past few weeks there has been major rainfall which meant that water levels should be high resulting in strong flow through the ceiling of the cave! If you have been following my journey you know that this means one thing - time to pack the camera bag, tripod, food and drinks and drive over 4 hours (8 there and back) to try and photograph this waterfall! The weather forecast was overcast with rain so I knew that conditions for photography would be perfect as there would be flat light making the dynamic range easier to handle.
GIFberg holiday farm
Situated just outside VanRhynsdorp in the Western Cape, South Africa, this rustic farm is the ideal getaway place to unplug and experience nature in all her glory. There are various hiking trails that puts you in touch with natural pools with it’s watercourse that resembles Fish River Canyon but just on a smaller scale.
The drive from VanRhynsdorp to Gifberg is very scenic as you meander along a mountain pass but must warn you that in the rain the gravel road becomes challenging due to the steep inclines and loose mud - it was AWESOME!
Potholes Trail
As mentioned above there are numerous trails for hiking and even a 4x4 route, however we were targeting the Potholes walk as that is where the cave waterfall is located. We paid our day trip entrance fees and headed off in the rain to find the start of the trail.
Luckily this trail runs parallel to the river therefore no dangerous river crossing required - or so I thought!
We slowly and cautiously made our way along the trail until a point where around the corner we could hear the power of water falling - this must be it! We eagerly proceeded and within no time saw what was causing the sound - in front of us was a shelf of rock and from our angle we could just make out the cave below.
I quickly went to investigate and realized that I would need to climb into the water to enter the cave - so with camera and tripod in hand I jumped down into the water and made my way into the cave.
The water was flowing so hard that the spray coming off the waterfall was causing water droplets on the front of my lens, so I had to use a lens cloth between shots to prevent the images being blurry.
I was in my element!!!
My wife is a rockstar as she joins every adventure irrespective of the weather conditions, here she is trying to keep dry using my golf umbrella, in the background you can see the waterfall - what you can’t see is me hiding in the cave taking photos.
Success
Below is the end result and really happy with it — well worth the 2 year wait!
I challenge you to get out into nature and chase the images of your dreams - please be careful though and try to always have someone with you when climbing mountains in case of emergencies
Till next time…