Oregon Fall Colors Review
A couple weeks ago, I returned from my Oregon Fall Colors Photo Tour. Since then, in between working on upcoming Costa Rica photo tours, I've been able to do a bit of post processing, and thought I'd share some of the highlights from the last Oregon photography workshop of the year.
Before that, I'll tell you that we spent three days photographing the world-famous Columbia River Gorge and two more days at spectacular Silver Falls State Park. It was incredibly beautiful with autumn colors exploding everywhere, the camaraderie was fantastic, and we had so much fun!
We began at sensational Starvation Creek which is a little bit different every time I'm there. It's a serene location with few visitors, tucked into a colorful canyon, and a good way to kick off the tour and get the creativity flowing.
After shooting for a couple hours, we had a nice lunch, then traveled to rugged White River Falls. I lost count how many times I've been to White River Falls, and like Starvation Creek, it's always a bit different. Sometimes there's heavy water flow through both sections of the jagged two-tiered cascade, while other times, only the lower section is full. This day, only a portion of the upper section was flowing, and we had to search for a unique perspective that included water in both areas. The fall colors in the trees above the upper rim added vibrance, and I'm always surprised by new compositions I discover at this oddly out of place location.
Following breakfast on Day 2, we headed to Wahclella Falls, my favorite hike in the Columbia River Gorge. The meandering trail parallels both sides of Tanner Creek through spectacular scenery until Wahclella Falls finally appears, and we spent nearly five hours photographing this beautiful location.
After a delicious lunch with gorgeous Columbia River views, we were scheduled to travel along Highway 35 up to the base of Mount Hood, but it snowed at higher elevations the previous day, so an adjustment had to be made. I always have several locations for just such an occasion, so we stayed around Hood River and photographed the stunning fall colors along a stretch of railroad tracks that produced wonderful results. We ended the day with a mouthwatering gourmet dinner at the best restaurant in the Columbia River Gorge before retiring to our hotel on the bank of the mighty river.
On Day 3 after breakfast, we traveled further west into the Gorge, and captured all the popular cascades plus a few locations that most visitors miss. This is why booking a photo tour with an experienced, knowledgeable guide is so incredibly important.
This was an extremely full day of shooting and I always provide plenty of snacks, so rather than breaking for lunch and losing valuable time, we nibbled as we shot until darkness forced us to stop. Afterwards, we traveled to Salem, checked into our awesome hotel, and indulged in the first of three delightful gourmet dinners in the bustling capitol city of Oregon.
The mornings of Days 4 and 5, we enjoyed breakfast and focused on editing and post processing before venturing to Silver Falls State Park, the crown jewel of the Oregon state park system. The sprawling park is known for the Trail of Ten Falls, a nearly eight-mile journey through moss-covered, old-growth temperate rainforests featuring ten sensational waterfalls. Beautiful streams, rustic bridges, and colorful valleys nicely accentuate the cascades.
On the way to the airport on Day 6, we drove on winding rural roads through the colorful Oregon countryside, and discovered exciting new photo opportunities along the way. I'm always surprised how quickly time passes on my photography tours, and as we arrived at the airport, it felt like only hours before we had just begun.
This is my favorite Pacific Northwest photography adventure, and it's available again October 19-24, 2025. I've already had multiple inquires for next year, so click the banner below for all the booking information, and reserve your spot today!
VERO: vero.co/colortexturephototours
IG: instagram.com/colortexturephototours
FB: facebook.com/ColorTexturePhotoTours
FLICKR: flickr.com/photos/scott-setterberg
Before that, I'll tell you that we spent three days photographing the world-famous Columbia River Gorge and two more days at spectacular Silver Falls State Park. It was incredibly beautiful with autumn colors exploding everywhere, the camaraderie was fantastic, and we had so much fun!
We began at sensational Starvation Creek which is a little bit different every time I'm there. It's a serene location with few visitors, tucked into a colorful canyon, and a good way to kick off the tour and get the creativity flowing.
This is my favorite Pacific Northwest photography adventure, and it's available again October 19-24, 2025. I've already had multiple inquires for next year, so click the banner below for all the booking information, and reserve your spot today!
VERO: vero.co/colortexturephototours
IG: instagram.com/colortexturephototours
FB: facebook.com/ColorTexturePhotoTours
FLICKR: flickr.com/photos/scott-setterberg
Scott Setterberg
Author