25 January 2008

Photo Adventures - New Opportunities

Photo opportunities are numerous and varied in this part of Panama. Two recent trips just scratch the surface of the possibilities.

1. I recently went with my favorite local guide to a giant, cascading, straight vertical drop waterfall within a few miles of Volcan, Panama. We don't know the exact height, but it is over 50 meters high and falls straight into a pool at the base. The force of the water is so great the it creates its own wind, driving the water spray and mist over 25 meters away at the base.

The route to the water fall starts on private land and descends about 1,000 meters into a deep canyon. Once at the river, we went upstream about 1 km, crossing the rapidly moving water 3 times to reach the falls. I got some beautiful pictures of the falls and the river that will be up on the web site eventually. The climb back out of the canyon was more strenuous than the walk in.

2. A few days after visiting the waterfall, we went to another canyon, this time a very narrow, vertical canyon that we reached by lowering down on ropes for about 30 or 40 meters. At the bottom, we landed in the stream that fills the canyon and waded for about 100 meters in both directions, before swimming a short distance and climbing out over a pile of boulders. I got some unusual photographs of the rocks, and of water "squirting" and flowing out of the rock walls.

The interest in "photo safaris" in this beautiful area is growing. Several photographers that I know, or that have heard about our trips, are interested in visiting and photographing here. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss the best time to plan a trip to Volcan.

Or, you can contact me about joining our "Western Panama Photo Adventure" now planned for July 17-24, 2008. More information at: www.jaymills.org/main/page_photo_adventures.html