Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is crazy full of opportunities for anyone packing a camera. During a five-day visit there in early March 2012, I traveled up and down the coast between Astoria and Bandon hypnotized by the beauty of the rocky coastline, the gorgeous light at sunset and sunrise, the rapidly shifting transitions from storms to sunshine, the old-growth forests and the variety of shorebirds.
In Cannon Beach, I had the good fortune of hanging out with renowned nature photographer Art Wolfe as he led a workshop in and around Cannon Beach. Keeping up with Art is no small task, especially after he’s had his morning coffee. Art challenged all of us to see everything from the small details to the grand vistas wherever we went. We had to be ready to abandon plans and locations for new ones according to the changing light. With Art, the image reigns supreme, and if the light wasn’t right in one location, we had to pack it in and speed off to another more promising location in a heartbeat. It was fun and frantic. Art’s critiques alone were worth their weight in gold. After 30 years of photography, Art can size up ways to improve an image quicker than you can screw a circular polarizer onto a lens.
After Cannon Beach, I headed south to Bandon, where, in my opinion, the sea stack formations offshore are the best on the Oregon Coast. During this trip, I was fortunate to photograph some very colorful sunsets and sunrises, and the setting of a full moon above the sea stacks in Bandon left me breathless.
Technically as well as artistically, it was a very challenging trip that I know helped me grow as a photographer. My next stop is Big Sur, another beautiful coastline for me to aim my camera at. You can view all my new Oregon Coast images in the "featured galleries" section of my Web page:
www.chasingthelight.zenfolio.com. Or just click the "Home" at the top of this page.