
Cannon Beach Vista. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 4 seconds.
Hi everyone. Here is an image I just shot on my recent trip out to the Oregon Coast. I was in Portland for a few days and spent a day and a half in Cannon Beach. If you have been following my Twitter Posts you know that I did more eating than shooting. The weather was simply impossible. While pelting rain and wind made conditions interesting it was nonetheless difficult for photography. Even with my camera “raincoat” and an umbrella wind blew drops into the lens. So some of my shots came from the short periods between squalls. This image was shot looking towards Haystack Rock and the Needles seastacks. What caught my eye was the distinct dynamic line of the ocean and the clouds leading towards the dark mass of Haystack. Additionally , the wisp of clouds was mirrored in the patterns of sand left by the receding water.
Within minutes the patterns were gone. I shot almost 25 images of this composition to get this one exposure where all the elements were balanced. I would wait for the water line to move in then recede to get the dynamic streaking in the sand. I was positioned in the tides flow with the camera low to the ground to expand the sense of perspective. The image was processed in Lightroom with final finishing in Photoshop.
I have a few other images from this trip which I will show in later posts. I was hoping for the sun on this trip. I envisioned red light reflected in the oceans surface. But instead nature dealt me a different set of cards. And that my friends is photography. We do not always get what we want. I wanted to fill up CF cards with beautiful sunrises and sunsets and I must admit I stewed around about my misfortunes for a half a day. But on reflection I was given a different kind of gift. I slowed down my pace. I rested, watched a few movies, and ate some great food. I walked along an incredible beach in stormy conditions and in those interstitial spaces of time discovered other patterns. This is my favorite shot from those few days and indeed it was the last shot I took which seems fitting. It represents multiple layers of meaning and symmetry but I had to slow down to see it. I had to give myself a chance to just be in the moment. I think nature gave me a beautiful gift.
Thank you for stopping by today.
Bob