As an artist have you ever had something you have wanted to do but just never gotten around to doing it. It wasn’t a priority at the moment. There didn’t feel like a sense of urgency to get it done now. So we just put it off, and off, and off.

That has been me a lot of times. As a photographer, I have driven by local scenic areas and thought to myself I should really stop and photograph this spot someday. And I will have that same thought at the same location repeatedly. Year after year. And Someday NEVER comes.

Some places end up being developed into housing or are no longer accessible for photography. Then I feel this sense of regret and remorse. Why didn’t I do that when I had the chance?

I try to avoid that as much as I can these days. I actually try to make a list of specific things I want to photograph so that I don’t miss out on them. As creatives we often have e a lot of ideas in our heads. It can be easy to forget about something we thought about a few months ago or a year ago, because we had to wait for the right conditions to create it or in my case photograph it. So, now I try to implement a list of photography I want to create. Then, hopefully I will not miss out on future opportunities.

One of my favorite types of nature photography is photographing waterfalls. But, one thing I have learned over the years is that water can be scarce, even on waterfalls. Water levels vary seasonally if not annually. Or as climate changes maybe water levels will be altered permanently.

Finally photographing this waterfall

There has been a specific waterfall I have been wanting to photograph for years. It is a in a beautiful protected scenic area. But the source for the water that flows to create this waterfall is very seasonal. So if I don’t show up in early spring to photograph it, there will be little to no water flowing down the falls.

The feature I have wanted to photograph is Lick Brook Falls. As Lick Brook flows down into this beautiful gorge. It streams down the rock surface. Then over some stone shelves and out into the forest.

I have been to this location on many occasions. They have not always been photography related, but even when they were I didn’t plan far enough in advance or with specific attention to the water issue. Thus, I often missed out on seeing any water at the falls.

This year, I knew I would be in the Ithaca area to do some running with a friend. It was early spring. And it had been a wet early spring. I was very conscious of wanting to get to this spot while in Ithaca.

I made sure to bring my camera.

After my friend and I completed all our running goals for the day I headed over to Lick Brook Falls. I was hoping to see some nice flowing water, but I wasn’t really sure what to expect as this was the first time I had made this photograph a priority.

Make a plan and take the photos

I was so happy and relieved when the stream bead where Lick Brook flows, often a completely dry stream bed during my hikes, had water in it. Hiking to the waterfall from the direction I was approaching I came to the stream as it is leaving the area of the waterfall itself before I could see the waterfall.

I crossed the stream and made my way over to Lick Brook Falls. The water was flowing over the rocks in a beautiful cascade and I was so happy. I think I was probably so happy just to have an opportunity to create these photographs that I didn’t take as much time as I could. Or put as much thought into the photography as I would like to normally. I probably left out some images I could have created. But that gives me incentive to keep thinking about this location intentionally and plan to return to create more photography.

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