A Tale of Two Trips: Chasing the Light at Kinlock Falls
Jun 10, 2026
A Tale of Two Trips: Chasing the Light at Kinlock Falls
As landscape photographers, we can plan our locations down to the exact GPS coordinates, but we are always at the mercy of the elements. You can't control the weather, and you certainly can’t control the sun. But you can control how you adapt.
Recently, I took two trips to Kinlock Falls in the Bankhead National Forest—spaced just a few weeks apart. The contrast between these two excursions perfectly captures the absolute power of light, and why some locations demand a second chance.
Trip 1: The High-Contrast "Save"
The Image: "Kinlock in Silver"
Back in April, I set out on a multi-stop scouting mission to find a few waterfalls hidden deep inside the Bankhead National Forest. Since it’s a two-hour drive from my house and I was unfamiliar with the trails, I hit the road around 8:00 AM, landing at Kinlock Falls right around 10:00 AM.
I knew immediately that the mid-morning spring sun was going to be brutal, but with a long list of waterfalls to hit that day, I couldn’t afford to sit and wait for the evening golden hour. I took the shot, hoping I could wrestle the lighting into submission during post-processing.
When I pulled the RAW file up on my computer at home, the harsh reality set in:
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The left side of the frame was trapped in deep, unrecoverable shadows.
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The right side of the waterfall was completely washing out under the direct sun.
The Solution: Rather than discarding the file, I relied on a trick I’ve used to rescue high-contrast shots in the past—I flipped the image to black and white. By stripping away the color, the distracting, clashing light vanished. Instead, the harsh sun and deep shadows transformed into bold, architectural lines and rich textures, giving birth to "Kinlock in Silver." It saved the trip and created a timeless, dramatic gallery print.
Trip 2: The 3:00 AM Reward
The Image: "First Light at Kinlock Falls"
While I loved the silver-gelatin vibe of the monochrome shot, I couldn't shake the desire to capture Kinlock Falls in its full, lush, natural color. I knew the location needed soft, directional light. That meant one thing: a 3:00 AM alarm clock.
Driving through the dark to arrive just as the very first light of dawn began filtering through the sky was a completely different experience. On my first trip, the falls were buzzing with hikers and swimmers. This time? It was just me, the roar of the water, and the peaceful stillness of the forest. To make things even better, it had rained the evening before, so the river was pumping with much more volume.
The Technical Setup: When shooting waterfalls, a rock-solid tripod is a non-negotiable part of my gear. Because the Bankhead canopy is so incredibly dense, it actually acts like a roof; at dawn, it was so dark at the bottom of the canyon that I had to sit and wait for enough ambient light to finally bleed through the trees.
To capture that gorgeous, silky movement of the rushing water, I dragged the shutter speed down to 0.8 seconds. The dense forest canopy and early hour provided perfectly even, shadowless illumination, locking in the rich greens and vibrant textures of "First Light at Kinlock Falls."
The Photographer's Lesson
Neither image is "better" than the other—they are simply two entirely different moods of the same beautiful Alabama landmark. "Kinlock in Silver" is a story of creative problem-solving on the fly, while "First Light at Kinlock Falls" is the reward of patience, dedication, and a willingness to lose a little sleep for the perfect shot.
