Braving The Storm
Believe it or not, I came very close to leaving Canada without photographing Niagara Falls. The falls are a couple of hours' drive from the city I found myself in, Toronto, and my visit had been so busy that my only free time was the day I was due to leave. That would mean setting off at silly o'clock in the morning to capture a sunrise photograph before rushing back to catch my flight. Given the weather forecast predicted heavy rain, such an early start wasn't appealing, and the temptation to have a lie-in followed by room service breakfast was intense.
Of course, I soon came to my senses. I couldn't travel so far, coming so close to one of the most spectacular sights on earth, only to skip it because I wanted room service. And so, a little after 3 am, I started the engine of my hire car while desperately hoping the weather forecast was wrong. Unfortunately, it wasn't!
The storm started almost immediately after I left the city, and for most of the journey, I found myself driving through a curtain of rain. There was no way I could capture a decent photograph in those conditions, meaning I was probably wasting my time. But I was already on the road, so I decided to see it through.
Despite the poor weather, I made good time, pulling up in front of the falls around half an hour before sunrise. The rain was still persistent but lighter than before, so I decided to go and explore. And that was when everything seemed to happen at once.
Just as the sky began to glow with that orange hue which comes immediately before sunrise, there was a sudden break in the storm. It only lasted a short while — just long enough to capture this photograph — but the clouds seemed to disappear entirely from the sky for those few moments.
During my entire time at Niagara Falls, I didn't see another soul; it was just me and one of our planet's most incredible natural wonders. I never did get my room service breakfast but what I gained instead was a magical experience which will live with me forever, one I would never have known had I not dragged myself out on that cold, wet morning. Life is rarely easy, but this photograph will always remind me that sometimes we will be rewarded for braving the storm.
