This image of Eagle Cap Wilderness was used in a recent article on Oregon’s top fall hikes by Travel Oregon. You can find the full article by clicking through to their website. I took this photo five years ago on a fall backpacking trip with my brother and father. You can read about the epic trip here and of course see many more photos.
Recently I published a post about my trip to Bandon Oregon and some of the sunset conditions I faced. Here is a counterpart to that article about the mornings I spent on the beach. Due to the weather, most mornings were overcast and very moody. It was a perfect opportunity to capture a quiet beach in somber lighting.
Most mornings had a very low tide, offering more compositional opportunities than sunset. For the photo above I spent some time studying the interplay of shapes between the sand, water, rocks, and their reflections. It is important to separate out the graphical elements in your image to prevent strong lines from overlapping. I had to carefully balance the space in between the large rock reflection and the sand bar jutting into the tide pool, with the spacing between the mid-frame rock and the sea stacks out on the horizon.
On another part of the beach, I found a large group of exposed mussels and decided to use them as leading lines out to the large sea stacks in the water. Getting down low with a wide angle lens helped emphasize the mussels in the foreground. Here I used focus stacking to ensure sharp focus throughout the frame.
The flat light of the morning lent itself well to black and white conversions. What attracted my eye to this area were the deep lines in the sand cut by the receding water. By converting to black and white, I was able to emphasize these lines by increasing the contrast and bringing out the drama of the image. I also liked the randomness of the rocks strewn about the background of the image. Compositionally, it is a nice juxtaposition of the round shapes of the rocks with the jagged straight lines cut through the sand.
Sometimes instead of adding contrast to an image (as in the black and white image seen above), it is better to showcase the low contrast qualities of the scene. Many mornings there was a foggy mist that settled around the rock formations, and here I wanted to show that atmosphere as well as the blue light cast of the morning.
Finally, this image was shot on the same day as the image above, but I increased the contrast to show off the sharpness of the foreground rocks leading to the rock spire.
It was a lot of fun to really think about why I was attracted to each of these images and use the processing stage to convey those thoughts to the viewer. It is also a reminder that taking the photos is only half of the story. A lot of communication comes through in the processing itself.
On a spring trip to Oregon to shoot the coast, my friend Dan and I were met with gray, overcast days, limiting the dynamic light in which I usually enjoy shooting landscapes. Still wanting to get in lots of time behind the camera, and keep exploring the area, we chose to go for some interesting macro opportunities. We heard word of a nearby boat repair yard and headed to Charleston, Oregon to check it out.
Upon arrival, I was happy to see a wide variety of boats and parts in various stages of repair or lack thereof. There were many textures and subjects to choose from, which I quickly set about exploring with my 100mm macro lens.
Before pulling out our cameras however, we found someone who works in the yard in order to get permission to shoot. It is important to always be respectful to people you are around, and do your part to represent photographers well. In addition, any time I am shooting on private property, I want to make sure I have permission to be there. The added bonus of asking for permission was that we got plenty of local knowledge of what else was interesting to shoot in the area, and met a really nice guy.
As I made my way through the repair yard, I came across what I found to be the most interesting single item, a Trackson Company logging tractor.
While I couldn’t find details on this specific model, Trackson Company was founded in 1922 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. They made a variety of excavators and formed a partnership with Caterpillar. This particular machine was obviously made for the logging industry, and it looked very old and was covered in rust.
This logging tractor provided many different framing opportunities.
On the other side, a small plant was growing through the wheel. Here I was able to show a nice bit of nature verses machinery contrast.
Finally, the tracks themselves were interesting with all the rust that had built up over the years. Here I created a balanced image emphasizing the symmetry of the tracks. A smaller aperture of f/5.6 let the detail of the rust disappear into obscurity.
Eventually we worked our way around the yard and it was time to go. But we were very happy with our decision to change focus for the afternoon due to weather conditions. With all photography, it is always beneficial to be flexible and creative.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse stands on a piece of land that juts out into the Pacific Ocean one half of a mile, making it the western most lighthouse in Oregon. Erected in 1870, it is the oldest continually operated lighthouse in the state as well. In order to save money in construction cost, two kilns were erected on site to provide the bricks needed for the lighthouse and other structures.
The narrow, winding staircase mimics the logarithmic spiral of the golden rectangle when viewed from above. How could I not capture a perfect composition with these elements laid out before me?
The crown jewel of this lighthouse is not the structure itself, but rather the Fresnel lens it houses. Standing about six feet tall, the rotating lens encircles a small electric light. Before electricity was installed in the light house, this service was provided by a simple candle. Due to the lens’ magnifying power, the light can be seen up to 23 miles off shore.
Cape Blanco is a beautiful, tall and elegant lighthouse. If you are ever in the vicinity of the southern Oregon coast, it is well worth a visit.
