Located in the District of Hillside, in the Parish of St Thomas,
Jamaica you will find a beautiful waterfall cascading into the Johnson River.
The locals call it 'Dam Head'. I have seen many images of this beautiful
waterfall on the internet and wanted to see it in person so I could capture a
few images for my portfolio.
On my recent short trip to Jamaica I hooked up with a friend to
get some directions and make the trip with me. Much to my disappointment, I was
told that I needed a four wheel drive vehicle to tackle the rough terrain.
Another hurdle I would potentially have to face was rain, since we had to drive
through the 'river bed' to get there. Wouldn’t want to be caught up the river
without a paddle now would we! I was kind of disappointed because I had rented
car and had no access to a four wheel drive vehicle. Fearing that I may lose
the opportunity to see the falls, a brilliant idea came to mind. The upside of
my previous job at LIME/FLOW
Jamaica was that we worked all over the Island and knew most if not all the
alternate routes to get to the work sites. So I called two of my former coworkers Germaine
Breakenridge and Alex Adams and as luck would have it, they knew the
area and alternate routes to get there without needing a four wheel drive
vehicle, not to mention they were willing to make the trip with me.
We left Kingston at about 9:00 am, it took us about an hour’s drive,
an easy one at that bypassing the river bed and parking about a 5mins walk from
the falls. I wasn't disappointed. The falls were spectacular! I think it is
amongst the most beautiful waterfalls in Jamaica. The view reminded of picture
I once saw of Skogafoss in Iceland. We spent the good part
of an hour walking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It wasn’t long
before people were arriving so I quickly setup my tripod and camera and started
taking a few shots. It wasn't the best light or time of day for landscape
photos but I couldn't wait for sunset as time was against me as I had many more
locations to visit before the day was done. So I 'broke the rules' and worked
with conditions that I had.
NB : I am totally against driving through the river and polluting
the water. I understand that driving through the riverbed is the quickest and
most convenient way to the falls but doing so can and will pollute the water
over time! The end result? Endangering wildlife and ruining this wonderful hidden
jewel hidden away in the heart of St. Thomas.
Here are some of the images ..
Camera : Sony A6000
Lens : Rokinon 12mm, Canon 10 - 22mm, Canon 18 - 135mm
Tripod : Vanguard Alta 263AP
Filters : Ice ND1000, Tiffen CPL.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lechmoore Simms is a Landscape and Nature Photographer, currently based in Connecticut, USA. He was born and raised in a small Country District name Linton Park in the Parish of St Ann, Jamaica. As a Country boy he was always surrounded by beautiful farm lands,lush green landscapes and several large mountains, this is where his love for nature started.
Beautiful place !!
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