Behind the Lens: Soaked at Aber Falls: Chasing the Perfect Vertical Panorama

 

Soaked at Aber Falls: Chasing the Perfect Vertical Panorama

Some images demand more than just a keen eye—they ask for endurance, patience, and sometimes a complete drenching. My recent trip to Aber Falls in North Wales turned into exactly that kind of experience. What started as a casual photo outing quickly became one of the most immersive shoots I’ve ever done. “Soaked” isn’t just a word—it became part of the story, etched into every one of the seven frames that make up this vertical panorama.

The Location and Setup

Aber Falls has always held a quiet kind of magic for me. Tucked into the foothills of the Carneddau mountains, the waterfall crashes down with raw energy, sending spray far beyond what you might expect. I’d seen photos of it before—silky, serene representations of power caught mid-fall—but I wanted to do something different. A vertical panorama, shot from just feet away, was the goal.

Getting close enough for that shot meant one thing: I was going to get soaked. And I did. Standing directly in the line of the spray, every breath felt misted, every second spent wiping droplets off my lens. It was relentless. I had to clean the glass before each exposure, a careful, methodical process repeated seven times. But that challenge only deepened my commitment to capturing something unique.

The Moment of Truth

There’s a kind of rhythm you fall into when everything is working just enough to keep going. Wipe. Compose. Shoot. Wipe again. Each long exposure smoothed the chaotic water into silky strands, giving the falls that dreamy look I’d envisioned. But this wasn’t a tranquil shoot—wind tugged at the tripod, water hammered against my coat, and I was completely drenched from head to toe.

And yet, I loved every second of it.

Each frame I captured felt like a small victory. The sound of the falls roared in my ears, the cold seeped into my bones, and still, I kept shooting. When I finally completed the seventh and final image for the panorama, I knew I had something special—not just visually, but emotionally. This shot wasn’t handed to me. I had to fight for it, lens cloth in one hand and shutter remote in the other.

Reflection

“Soaked” is more than just a photo; it’s the story of total immersion—physically and creatively. I left Aber Falls soaked to the skin, my gear dripping, and my hands shaking from the cold, but I felt more alive than I had in weeks. The image that came out of this trip isn’t perfect in the traditional sense, but it’s real. It speaks of effort, of stubbornness, and of the thrill that only comes when you throw yourself completely into a moment.

This shot reminded me why I do this. Not just to make something beautiful, but to feel something in the process—to earn it.

Camera Settings

7-shot vertical panorama
Shutter Speed – 1.6 seconds (per shot)
Aperture – f/11
ISO – 100