PUBLICATION:  Discover SC 2020 Vacation Guide
ARTICLE:  SC Marvels
PHOTO USE:  One-page spread, page #30

I got an amazing opportunity in August of 2019 to shoot some images of Rainbow Falls in Jones Gap State Park, South Carolina for the upcoming Discover SC 2020 Vacation Guide.  The catch was that I would need to include a person in the photographs, something I rarely do as a landscape photographer.  Luckily enough, Halley Burleson and her adventure pup (@thesalliegator) agreed to make the hike out with me.  Thank you so much, Halley for making the trip!

There were a number of challenges that I was anxious about when I took this assignment.  First, I was worried about the waterflow in August.  Summer can be dry and hot in South Carolina, and waterfalls are often very dependent on rainfall to determine how full you’ll find them looking. Second, and probably the most concerning for me, was that I had one opportunity to get it right.  We only had the time and budget to make one hike out to the falls; whatever weather and conditions and traffic we ran into we had to work with and figure out.

The morning we made the hike was hot, sunny and sticky–typical Upstate South Carolina weather.  The trail to Rainbow Falls is not long but it is steep and does a pretty good job of tiring you out and making you sweat before you reach the reward.  The weather was all sun and no clouds–not ideal for waterfall photography.  Halley was a great sport though and we simply waited out the skies, sitting at the waterfall for hours on end until finally, towards late afternoon, some clouds began to float around the sun, covering and diffusing the light.  We made a flurry of images each time the conditions worked in our favor.  

A huge thank you for the opportunity to contribute to Discover SC’s annual vacation guide.  I hope that the photographs fulfilled the desire and represented Rainbow Falls and Jones Gap State Park in a positive light.  And again, a big thanks to Halley and her pup (who really enjoyed the cool waters and chasing rocks while we waited around!).