Winter Storm at Hug Point

Large storm waves are a grand attraction on the Pacific and can make for drama and also danger. These are not really "sneaker" waves in this context. It's simply a continual powerhouse of surge, current and beauty. These waves are so large they actually break on the reefs far off shore, so the ocean has the appearance of a gigantic washing machine of chaos.

One of my favorite places is Hug Point in all weather. No tourists dragging their coolers and umbrellas at this time of year. It's also high tide, so the dynamics are in full swing.

My main "position" is approaching the beautiful falls of Falls Creek from the highway, descending wet vegetation and mud. This platform before the creek makes it's final leap to the beach is roughly 15 feet high. A great view but can, at times, feel like it is not high enough. Occasionally there are logs perched on the ledge at the top of the falls, and then swept away.

Surging water from the north

The drama of water surging, tossing logs like they are matchsticks, shows the power and beauty of water.

Surging water from the south

Transforming clouds, changing their shapes and patterns.

The sun peaks through the maelstrom

A much higher platform and a grand view of the waves and their power.

Safely above the turmoil

The waves full force

Cape Kiwanda Beauty

Cape Kiwanda is a coastal oasis. Sandstone meets the sea. This visit was filled with discovery and explorations of areas both old and new. It is always possible to escape to areas few visit, the weather is usually quite beautiful, and the waves are magic.

Anemones in a tenuous position, waiting for the sea to return

 Despite the relatively calm winter, there had been a surprising amount of erosion of the sand, especially at the north side of the large sand hill. It's difficult to say, but I suspect the erosion is more due to the heavy use this park is subjected to every year. A number of trees in tenuous places last year had fallen downhill. We had virtually no rain this summer, so the sandstone was covered everywhere with guano, giving the rocks a whitish appearance.

Wave action after sunset

We had a very success time for our workshop here, and it was a pleasure to both teach and then return for time alone here. Had the whole area to myself and enjoyed the sea rushing in.

Sunset and sea approach this mussel lined channel

Often one is reminded of how brief we are here and how long geologic and biological changes have taken place on our beautiful planet. The next day, while exploring, I came across this section of rock.There were areas of charcoal clearly embedded in the sandstone in quite a few places.

My Firebird figure, with embedded charcoal

I look forward to my next visit, this time when the winter waves are really big!

Cape Kiwanda Reminising, Summer, 2012

Having planned a workshop in August, 2013 in the Cape Kiwanda area, I was reviewing some of the beauty there before the workshop and also my trip to the red rock in the Colorado plateau near Moab, Utah. The wind and water sculpted sandstone here reminds one of other areas of the west. Another fantastic feature is the unusual wave patterns that form and disappear. Caves, sand, shore birds and trees make for a photographers crayon box.

These photographs were all taken within 3 hours of each other. Sunshine and blue skies were quickly inundated by fog and cold, not an unusual occurrence when it's hot inland.

Just before the fog rolled in

Fog for subdued shadows and a neutral density filter make for longer exposures of the water. Tripod essential here.

Unusual waves at sunset with Sea Anenomes waiting under a rock for their next meal

Where sandstone and the Pacific meet

Brief Visit to Ecola and Hug Point

The first part of the afternoon was spent exploring Indian Beach at Ecola State Park with my step daughter Nadia and her partner Mike, including a hidden waterfall and an hike/overview of the steep and beautifully forested Tillamook Head.

With an incoming tide, Hug Point was the next destination. It rained most of the day, but cleared as evening approached. Unlike the many beach lovers in summer, it was serene, lovely and the falls had plenty of water.

 Especially this time of year, one has to be very careful of wave surge, particularly north of the falls. This is the first place to be inundated with waves. It was quite disconcerting, especially alone. 

Water moving in over the rocks, and my boots. 13 sec. exposure.

  
The top of falls is thoroughly safe, from the waves at least. A special place, with many places for the imagination to roam.

Heading south now after sunset, a parting shot of this lovely area.

 There are a number of small headlands between Hug Point Beach and Arch Cape. Beautiful confluences of basalt and sandstone is found here.

A Busy Spring

Wow, certainly been away from my blog for awhile, but have had a very busy 3 months. Getting out is always a pleasure, and I have found time to shoot, primarily in the Columbia Gorge, at the Oregon Coast and in the Olympics.

The Northwest has gone from the colds of winter. Snows greeted the end of March in the Olympics, all the way down to sea level. Quiet, restful days of roaming the rainforest, surrounded by beautiful moss and drippy sounds in the stillness.

A Fresh blanket of snow and storm clouds

The Oregon coast did not experience too many strong storms this spring. Some days were remarkably balmy and beautiful, with warm, strong offshore winds. 

Sunset near Cape Falcon

Spring came a bit later to the Columbia Gorge. It was quite wet, with quantities of snow and rain filling the streams and waterfalls. Spring also came in fits and starts, but the Balsamroot and Lupine made quite a fine show near the end of April.

 Beautiful Cirrus clouds with Balsamroot and Lupine

Oregon Coast Summer, 2011

After a long, wet, cool Spring, the summer this year was also on the cooler side. Coming to the coast and seeing the sun are two giant pluses. Clouds are also quite welcome, as they create a special drama and beauty. Here is a small sampling of two Oregon evenings this summer.

This first image was taken after a somewhat gray and drizzly day for the first summer workshop mentioned in the previous post. The sky began clearing just in time, opening up to a fabulous series of light and light changes.

Sunset approaches at Arcadia Beach

It was still quite beautiful nearly an hour later, with more blues and magentas reflecting off the beach with the outgoing tide. The cirrus clouds were also putting on quite a display.

Arcadia sea stack and last light

The evening before our next workshop in August, the sky was nearly clear. The light after sunset is again the attraction, here at Hug Point.

Warm glow of the Western skies, and blue from above light the water

If you would like to see more photos of the Summer Oregon Coast, click here...

Winter Waves at Arcadia Beach

Arcadia Beach, just a short hop south of Cannon Beach, is a wide expanse of sand between Hug Point and a rocky northern partition with a few modest sea stacks. Having walked the beach and taken night photographs there, I wanted to explore the photographic possibilities of the rocks, just a short walk from the parking lot. Waves were running 12-14 ft. offshore, which means a strong and variable wash on the beach. It was a sunny day, with low wind, so, for January, it was quite pleasant. It's a popular spot for folks with kids and dogs, but the possibility of sneaker or rogue waves is always present with strong storms, sometimes thousands of miles away. While the sun was strongly shining at 3:30p, it afforded an opportunity to use a neutral density filter to slow the water down. and capture it's motion. Black and white works well for me in these higher contrast situations.

Churning water as the tide resides. 50mm, .6 sec exposure.

Near sunset, clouds rolled in from the north, creating some interesting light, but is this going to shut out the glorious sunset we all wait for? There is a nice contrast here between the black and tan rock formations. There is a black area also on the sea stack.

Waves moving in while I shoot with my gum boots on. 14mm, .4 sec. exposure.

As the sun was veiled a bit, I decided to move up on the rocks to the right. Although the tide had been going out, wave activity was strong, but I was about 8 ft. higher than incoming. In this position, I didn't have my usually planed escape route for large waves, and felt vulnerable. A cormorant perched on the large stack and dried his wings.

Waves washing up to the rocks. 6 sec exposure.

As the sun and light descended, I decided it was time to go. As I depressed the shutter for the last exposure, suddenly a large wave was heading my way. It was about 7-10 ft. larger than the others, and inundated my position. I held the tripod in place, or it helped to hold me in place. A ghost of the water can be seen in the photo below. It was more excitement than I would ever want. Water came up to the top of my boots. Glad it wasn't any higher!

Large wave inundates my position. 14mm, 6 sec. exposure

I had spotted another photographer a bit earlier contemplating making a rounding of the rocks from the north. After the wave, I thought about his condition. Shortly afterward, he rounded the rocks. He apparently ran up the beach, but was still hit and wet waist high. His camera bag protected his gear. We were both very fortunate.

Sun(!!) and Stars at the Oregon Coast

After weeks of rain and cold, the weather finally looked like it was going to break for a nanosecond. It was time to head to the Oregon coast for some much needed sun therapy and hang out in one of my most favorite places on the coast, Hug Point State Park. The thought of having to put on sunscreen actually sounded good.

Although the tide was going out, large wave action was sufficient to make it difficult to round the head and get further north from the parking lot, so I approached the beach from above. Also wanted to get some shots of the caves, but it would have been too risky to venture in there. There were a few loonies tempting fate, but it seemed exceeding dangerous.

Freezing the action with this back-lit photo of Falls Creek Falls

Park-like tranquility above the beach leads to a very active and beautiful interaction between waves and waterfall. The worn sandstone with the basalt make for colorful and warm rock formations. One of the major highlights is the waterfall.

Colorful little rainbows dot the places where the creek meets the beach

The "plan" was to photograph here for some time and then head to Ecola State Park, but the weather was so inviting and the area so beautiful, it seemed better to stay and relax.

After meeting up with family members at Arch Cape, I headed back to Portland. Part of the plan was also to take some photographs with the light of the moon. Although tired, a few stops yielded some nice photographs before the clouds moved in, in advance of the next very wet storm, the very next day ;(

The famous Haystack Rock with the lights of the crabbing boats offshore

Click here to see more photographs of this shoot on my website...

Oregon Coast Storm

With careful study of weather reports and satellite photos, it looked like there were would be a good opportunity for interesting storm photographs. Waves from the NW were reported in the 25-30 foot range. After the cold front, the clouds looked like they could be interesting.

On the way, my step-daughter called to let me know about elk that were just off Highway 101 near Cannon Beach. Always a joy to see.

A fleeting family portrait

After meeting her and the elk, the next stop was Hug Point. The waterfall there is very beautiful, but the tide was very high, and I thought it might be interesting to explore the falls from behind. It was a foaming, frothy area in front of the falls, with large logs being tossed about like toothpicks.

Hug Point waterfall at high tide

When the waves are this large, they break far offshore. In order to see them closer, deeper water near shore was a requirement. There is a beautiful spot south of Hug Point to observe and photograph, so I headed there. A squall was approaching, getting out there quickly was of the essence.

Large waves and approaching squall

The squall hit and I retreated to the woods until the rain, hail and wind passed. I returned and waited for the sun to make a brief appearance. It was getting close to sunset.

Sunshine, waves, and foam with the squall now retreating

The sun retreated behind the clouds of the next squall. Took some photos as darkness, rain and lightning approached. Made it back to the van just before serious rain fell. Some lightning was also present, but too random to photograph. Also better to be on the safe side.

Thundering waves in diminishing light

More Photos of this storm here>>

Stopping in Port Orford

We wanted to check out a few places that looked interesting, but were rushing, on our way to somewhere else.

On our way back from Harris Beach we stopped in Port Orford. Port Orford has a unique way of harboring their fishing fleet. Every evening, because they don't have a protected harbor, they use large hosts to store their vessels on shore.

There are usually lots of sea birds around, waiting for the tasty scraps.

Lifting another vessel for the evening

A fisherman is sorting these great looking Black Cod. They catch quite a variety of fish here, and sell much of their catch overseas, mainly to Japan and Asia. Since they have smaller vessels, they have done some specialization for their markets.

Sorting Black Cod by weight

A Photographers Dream : : Seal Rock State Park

Seal Rock State Park was made for photographers. There is something for just about everyone here. Soft sandstone banks in sharp relief with a long spine of basalt rock outcroppings. Rich with birds and sea lions offshore, there is much to take in. After viewing from a pleasant platform overlooking the north beach, a short walk to the south reveals the south beach and a large rock (Elephant Rock) with hundreds of birds nesting and soaring.

Clearing Fog and colorful Elephant Rock

Pigeon Guillemots love the sides of these rocks, and there were quite a large number of them resting. Their feet are especially colorful.

Pigeon Guillemots

The next day the north beach looked interesting to explore. It was a gray morning, but the sun made a most welcomed appearance and stayed for some hours. A rock shape in the beach had a strange human-like form.

Vague human rock form in the sand

A little further south, a nice pool was forming as the tide came in.

Looking north

In another tide pool just behind where the shot above was taken, a number of Guillemots were hanging out, so out comes the 300mm lens. Just as I was getting some settings ready, there was quite a sight, with two guillemots appearing to be sparring with each other. Although not ready, I managed to get a few photos. It was very interesting, and over in seconds.

Guillemots sparring

Last Light on Harris Beach

Finally some sun appeared at sunset at our last evening at Harris Beach. It was a small opening and I arrived late, dropping gear, wondering where to go with the gap between the clouds for the sun rapidly closing.

Last light on rocks on the south beach

Dashed down the beach to the rock group at the very end of the beach. Tide coming in, waves crashing just in front of me on a small rock platform. Fading light on closer rocks, so I used them to frame others with that great light still there. The rock on the left has a sort of a Neanderthal profile.


Sun now behind clouds and disappearing. Looking for other possibilities, the atmosphere of gray returns, with subtle colors and a now receding tide.

Rocks with back lighting as the gray returns

Lone Ranch Beach

The next afternoon brought a mix of fog and sun at Lone Ranch Beach, located just north of Harris Beach. Microclimates rules here. High cirrus clouds came in and out of view. Most other locations were bathed in fog the entire day.

Exploration in a new place is always interesting. Heading to the north, the beach quickly gave way to a diverse grouping of rocks of surprising variety. The fog was just off shore, but would break to reveal beautiful cirrus clouds.

Working with mid-day, stronger light naturally lends itself to black and white. Who says the so-called "Magic Hour" is just mornings and evenings!

North shore of Lone Ranch Beach

Another digital darkroom technique is to leave a certain amount of color, with the saturation lowered. With sun shots and back lighting, you can create images that have a somewhat surreal or night time appearance.

South shore of Lone Ranch Beach

As the afternoon progressed, the sunlight would soon be disappearing behind the fog. The sea stacks around the point also looked interesting. Better light and an interesting foreground attracted me before the direct, warmer sunlight was gone for good.

Late afternoon light