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...

Beginning Digital Photography Presentation at Intel

Portland Community College's Community Education has recently started a series of lunchtime program for Intel employees. I gave the inaugural lecture on using some more creative settings on your camera to control exposure and white balance.

That's yours truly in the distance

Initially, we thought their would be approximately 30-50 people interested. As the event neared, it appeared quite a few (well over 200) had added this talk to their calendar. The day before the talk, a timely decision was made to move this to a larger venue. I made a few changes to my presentation.

When the event began, there were ~40 people there. In another 5 minutes, another 150 people appeared! People were standing in the back. Total count was over 200.

The talk went well, with a very attentive group with questions and interest. It was a great way to start this series for PCC, and I enjoyed the interaction.

Looking foreword to my next lecture on Travel Photography in April.

Thanks to Shannon K. Phillips of Intel for the iPhone pics

Columbia Gorge Water and Ice

The Columbia Gorge in winter can be very wet, icy and enchanting, and, as a bonus, far less populated. Travelling with my son Gabe, we ate lunch, overlooking the gorge at the Ainsworth State Park exit, then spent the rest of an afternoon at the ever beautiful Elowah Falls.

It was too icy to approach the falls without the right gear, but the overall scene was pleasant, cold and calm.

Composite image of Elowah Falls

Next we headed up to Upper McCord Creek Falls. We could see from below that there was plenty of ice, so we thought we would see if the trail was safe enough. One really wouldn't want to do this with the ice and no hand rail, unless you had proper climbing equipment. We had to duck under the beautiful icicles, which also formed smooth ice under our feet.

Gabe ducking the icicles. Elowah Falls below in lower left corner

After dodging the icicles, beautiful Upper McCord Creek Falls was gently surrounded by ice, frost and a light snow.

Upper McCord Creek Falls, near day's end

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>>

Hawthorne Bridge Fog

Returning from an early morning harpsichord tuning at the Oregon Symphony, I decided to take the longer way home along the Willamette River. Clearing fog, especially in the morning, is always a draw.

Didn't have my "big" camera stuff with me, but did have along my little 6mp Fuji. It was cold, but there were quite a few people enjoying a morning run, etc.

Changing fog and colors

Fog breaking through with geese

The Hawthorne Bridge is a great subject, and is a vital link across the Willamette River. Fun to walk or ride a bike across, it has been dangerous for more than one motorist!

Morning stroll on the bridge

The fog also created interesting reflections on some of the buildings downtown.

Reflections in black and white