Northern Oregon Coastline Photo Gallery
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
On two different occasions I made my way to Yaquina Head Lighthouse near Newport Oregon. On Wed. morning I headed out way before the sun was due. As I got there it was apparent that my sunrise would be a disappointment. But it was still so dark I could not really tell.
I climbed down the stairs along the cliff to the shore and then climbed a rock to compose my shot. It was then I could see a huge wall of rain coming my way. I pulled off several shots and it was becoming lighter outside and then could tell I was about to get really dumped on.
I packed up the gear and climbed down from my rock to beat it back to the car in time but no luck. It was a down pour by the time I reached the stairs. Made it to the car all wet and was a little disappointed but waited to see if it would pass. 30 minutes later I could see a break in the clouds out west and then it was showing this could really turn out to be a cool shot. Not my pinks and magenta’s I am usually after but it looked promising.
I walked back down the cliff, high tide was coming in and cut off my path to the rock I was on so I set up on the shoreline and got the second image. That sunrise actually turned out good and I took several shots for the remaining time the rest of the morning.
The second attempt was sunset. They close the park at 7pm. I was with Tim and Ray, my photography buddies I met up with that day and we were pretty upset about it but tried to make the best of it. I ran back down the stairs to the shoreline to try and get a good shot but knowing I would not get that perfect light after 7 I knew it would not be great. I ended up shooting a series of shots and blended them together for the look I wanted later in photoshop. On a side note to get around the BS park closing for the perfect sunset time. When you turn on to NW Lighthouse Dr., take your first left of NW Agate Way and go to the end of the road and park. You will then have to walk at least a few miles to get to the beach below the lighthouse where I took my shots. You can also by pass the $7 dollar entrance fee they do not deserve for closing the area down for other photographers and anyone else who wishes to see a great sunset location. Goole map it so you can get a better idea on where to park and walk. You will still for the most part walk along the main road into the park. But will not have to worry about them closing the gate on you and your car.
Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach is so over shot I was also going to blow this place off completely. But with our trip schedule, we needed to be close to Portland the night before we were to fly out so this was our last stop.
Ecola State Park
We hung out for the rest of the day in Ecola State Park and went into the small town for some food and drinks to wait on the sunset.
This night turned into the second best night as far as dramatic clouds and perfect light. So again, If I am going to be stuck shooting a scene that has been shot millions of times, I could not have asked for a more unique evening. Took some great shots here of Cannon Beach and other coastal areas along Ecola State park.
Seal Rock
Seal Rock was initially a back up location for me to photograph. And am I glad I found and decided to shoot this place. It is not visited as much as the other locations and the evening sky was pretty good for our long exposures. Tim, Ray and I stopped by here a few times and had some great luck with the light and clouds. Great spot with large rocks off shore and smaller rocks I climbed onto during high tide to compose my shots. I have quite a few of them in the gallery. This is just north of Yachats and takes about 15 minutes to get there.
Cooks Chasm and Devil's Cauldron
Cooks Chasm and the Devil's Churn area is a great location. Not the typical sea stacks you are accustom to seeing along the Oregon coast. It is located south of Yachats by Cape Perpetua scenic area off U.S. 101. Numerous tidal pools are located in this area at low tide. The rugged rock formations are tricky to walk on and you need to be careful the closer you get to the edge. Sneaker waves caught me off guard several times as they crashed around me. I had great cloud formations that day for my sunset shots. This was also the time I split the evening up and drove to Heceta Head Lighthouse about ten miles away further south.
Cape Kiwanda
Cape Kiwanda is located near Lincoln City. This area offers a lot of different situations to photograph and is kinda tricky to get around. On the south end you are greeted by a large sea stack and rugged inlet rocks to compose your shots. But to get to the real action you will need to climb over the large sand dune to get to the other side of the park.
Here you will be greeted with huge waves battling the coastal rocks. You slip here, you are a gonner. Even though we were being pretty careful as we photographed the waves coming in, I had set my gear up a few feet behind me as I was taking pictures. A huge sneaker wave came crashing over the spot I was located. I had enough time to grab my camera but the wave took my small backpack and threw it into a tidal pool. Luckily I down sized what I was carrying with me and it only contained some filters. Normally I have my larger camera back pack with me containing everything and this could have turned into a disaster and ruined a lot of expensive gear.
The shot above looks nice and peaceful but this is the shot I pulled off just after the huge wave came through. The 30 second exposure is misleading as to the waves fury here. This location was probably the most dramatic for wave action I saw on the whole trip since I was so close to the edge.
