I had just finished a three-day Photography project with Westernstar Trucks. We shoot the first day in North Portland, the second day on the beautiful Oregon coast, and the final day at two locations on Mt Hood. The last one was at the overpass and off-ramp from Hwy 35 to Mt Hood Medows. You can see some of the behind-the-scenes photos here.

There were a few hours until sunset, so I decided to go for a short hike. About a mile from the junction with Hwy 35 up Mt Hood Meadows Drive is the trailhead to Umbrella Falls. It is less than a quarter mile from the trailhead to the bridge at the base of the falls. I set up my camera on a small tripod and sat on a log to watch and listen to the waterfall.

There is no better way to relax and de-stress than at a waterfall like Umbrella Falls. It's not a ponding waterfall like vertical falls, just nice and smooth. I have photographed the falls a few times before, but never on a summer day with the water high and the late afternoon sun backlighting the trees and waterfall. As I sat there watching the water and the sun coming through the trees, I decided that was the photo I wanted.