Ithaca Falls: The Shot I Missed in February
I was underestimating what’s possible and had already written off the day. After Triphammer Falls, I should have been satisfied. The light had been difficult, the trails were closed, and I’d got a few decent shots from the only viewpoint available. That should have been enough. But the sun kept poking through the clouds, and Ithaca Falls was only a few minutes downstream along Fall Creek Gorge. Bhavna was game for one more stop.
The first time I photographed Ithaca Falls was in February of this year when we visited Kiran and Fawad. It was winter then, and the falls and the streambed below were completely iced over. The entire gorge felt frozen—white ice covering the rocks, icicles hanging from the falls, everything locked in place. I got a few shots with my iPhone, but nothing spectacular. The scene was dramatic, but the compositions felt flat. I couldn’t get close enough to the water, and the ice limited where I could stand. I’d imagined coming back in autumn to try again, when the falls would be flowing and the trees along the gorge would be in full colour.
We made the very short drive from Triphammer Falls to Ithaca Falls—just a few minutes downstream. The parking area looked packed. There were a lot of visitors, which made sense. Ithaca Falls is one of the most accessible waterfalls in the area. You don’t have to descend into a gorge or navigate slippery trails. You can walk right up to it from the road. We easily found parking on East Fall Street, which was a relief.
Bhavna stayed in the car, coordinating the afternoon with Kiran and Fawad. The plan was to meet them later at Alley Cat Café. I hopped out of the car to scout the scene, leaving the camera gear behind. I guess I was sceptical. I wasn’t sure the light would work, and I didn’t want to haul the tripod and camera down to the water only to discover the conditions were hopeless.
Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, New York · Saturday 25 October 2025
FujiFilm X-T3 · ISO 160 · 1.3 sec
XF27mmF2.8 R WR · 27 mm · f/16
I was pleasantly surprised. Ithaca Falls is wide—much wider than Triphammer Falls—and drops about 150 feet over layered shale in a broad, curtain-like cascade. The water spreads across the entire width of the rock face, creating dozens of smaller streams that flow over the sedimentary layers. In autumn, the trees along the gorge rim were at peak colour—brilliant golds, oranges, and touches of red. Even with the sun hidden behind the clouds, the scene had potential.
This was the shot I’d imagined on my last visit. The ice had made it impossible then, but now the water was flowing freely, and I could see a clear path to set up on the rocks in the middle of Fall Creek, just downstream from the falls. The perspective would put me right in the creek with the falls rising above me, framed by the autumn foliage on both sides.
I rushed back to the car, grabbed my camera gear, and made my way down to the creek. The rocks were large enough to stand on safely, and whilst I was surrounded by water, I was in no danger of soaking my shoes. The water flowed around the rocks on either side, but the spots I needed were dry. I mounted the X-T3 on the tripod and composed the shot.
The sun didn’t come out at all during the ten or more minutes I was at Ithaca Falls. The clouds stayed heavy, diffusing the light evenly across the scene. This wasn’t ideal for dramatic contrast, but it worked for the falls themselves. Without harsh sunlight, I didn’t have to worry about blown highlights on the white water or deep shadows in the gorge. The overcast sky gave me even, soft light—perfect for long exposures.
Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, New York · Saturday 25 October 2025
FujiFilm X-T3 · ISO 160 · 1.8 sec
XF27mmF2.8 R WR · 27 mm · f/16
I shot several frames from the same position, adjusting the composition slightly each time. The challenge was balancing the falls with the foreground rocks and the autumn trees. I wanted the rocks in the creek to anchor the bottom of the frame, the falls to dominate the middle, and the foliage to frame the sides. The XF27mmF2.8 R WR worked well for this. The focal length was wide enough to capture the full width of the falls without distortion.
I also moved slightly to the left and right, trying different angles. The falls are symmetrical enough that small shifts in position changed the balance of the composition significantly. Too far left, and the right side of the falls felt compressed. Too far right, and the left side lost detail. I settled on a position that felt centred, with the main flow of the falls directly in front of me.
The area closest to the base of the falls looked promising for a different perspective, but the water was too deep. I could see where the creek pooled near the falls, and whilst it would have given me a more dramatic angle looking up at the cascade, I wasn’t willing to wade in with my gear. The rocks where I was standing were as close as I could safely get.
The foliage added a lot to the scene. On the left side of the frame, a cluster of small trees with golden-yellow leaves provided a natural frame. On the right, larger trees with deeper oranges and reds balanced the composition. The contrast between the warm autumn colours and the cool grey rock of the falls was striking, even under overcast skies.
I shot for about ten minutes, checking the compositions on the back of the camera between exposures. The long shutter speeds—around one to two seconds—smoothed the water into a silky flow, which softened the appearance of the falls and made them feel more ethereal. The rocks in the foreground stayed sharp, creating a textural contrast with the blurred water.
By the time I packed up, a few other photographers had arrived and were setting up their own tripods along the creek. Ithaca Falls is popular for good reason. It’s accessible, dramatic, and photogenic from multiple angles. But it’s also crowded, which means you’re often working around other people. I was lucky to have a few minutes alone before the next wave of visitors arrived.
When I got back to the car, Bhavna looked up from her phone and asked if I got the shot. I nodded. I’d got several. Whether they were the shots I’d imagined back in February, I wouldn’t know until I reviewed them later. But standing in the middle of Fall Creek with the falls rising in front of me and the autumn colours framing the scene felt like the moment I’d been waiting for all day.
We drove to Alley Cat Café to meet Kiran and Fawad. The light never did break through the clouds, but that didn’t matter. Sometimes the conditions you get are better than the ones you were hoping for.
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