There are three nice waterfalls in the Deep Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This post covers the Juney Whank Falls. I will cover the other two waterfalls, Tom Branch, and Indian Creek in my next post.

The NPS says the “roundtrip distance to the waterfalls is 0.8 miles and the hike is generally considered moderate in difficulty. It takes about 1-2 hours to hike to the waterfall and back.”

I would rate the trail as easy.

Feature Image Details

• • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon 16-35MM F4 L Lens: at 16mm,  F16, ISO 125 for 2 seconds.

To capture scenes like these you need a long exposure. Depending on how fast the water is flowing, the range may be between 1/4 second and several seconds.

To make the feature image, I scrambled down to the base of the falls or perhaps a spot on a ledge somewhere. I do not recall which.

Here is a more standard and rather unexciting image by comparison.

Creating good waterfall images is easy. You need:

1. Bright overcast or shade
2. Water
3. A good angle
4. Tripod
5. Slow shutter speed

You cannot do anything about 2. You have sufficient water or you don’t. In regards to light, you can go on a cloudy day or time your visit so that the waterfall is in the shade when you get there. Bright overcast light is nearly always the best.

Points three to five are in the photographer’s control. A good angle can be a make-or-break affair. Just don’t do anything too silly.

This is the third in a series of Great Smoky Mountains images.

Please check out:

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Little Pigeon River – Spring.
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Rainbow Falls – Spring

Equipment List

Those interested in my equipment and recommendations can find it here: Mish’s Equipment List.

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Mike “Mish” Shedlock