Over the last few weeks blogging has sadly taken second place to work. A project I’m working on has taken me around the UK, giving me lots of opportunities to photograph some great places (photos coming soon!) but no time for anything else. So for now a return to my series of photos from last years Canadian holiday with just ten photos from Niagara Falls.
I visited Niagara Falls on the last day of my holiday; hiring a car in Toronto and driving one-and-a-half hours around Lake Ontario to spend a couple of hours exploring this natural wonder, before driving back to Toronto’s Pearson Airport and flying back to England.
The falls themselves are simply amazing, the sheer size and the roar of the water is stunning. I was hoping for clear blue skies but was confronted with a dull rainy day which doesn’t make for the best photos.
What I hadn’t realised before my visit is that the town of Niagara Falls is split in two by the Niagara River – one side in Canada and one in America. I was on the Canadian side and didn’t have the time to get over to the American side – although checking the location (geotag) information on my photographs I can see that I did technically get into America without using my passport due to the country boarder running right down the middle of the river!
The Canadian side definitely gives better views of both the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls, but once you’re aboard a boat (Hornblower from the Canadian side, Maid of the Mist from the American side) you get the same experience.
Before you board a boat from either side you get given a waterproof poncho to wear. Obviously the falls produce a lot of mist, but I wasn’t prepared for just how close the boats go to the falling water! Despite the poncho both me and my camera got soaked – luckily I could get changed after, and my Olympus EM-1 camera is weather proofed.
After my soaking I headed back into town and I went up the Skylon Tower to get photographs looking down on the falls. The views from above didn’t disappoint, although they didn’t last for long as incoming rain obscured the view.
I didn’t have time to explore much else of the town, although what I did see looked very touristy, almost resembling a tacky British seaside town with its endless gift shops and casinos. But I’ll definitely return some time for a longer visit in the hope of getting better weather for daytime photographs and at some night-time ones too.
