Next stop: Oregon!
Some thoughts and photos from a late summer trip to Oregon, as well as some upcoming plans for a return visit.
We are heading back to Oregon, where we will spend the week of Thanksgiving. I’m so excited!
I have loved Oregon since my first visit, which was back in 2001. Since then, I have been probably 10 times, maybe more. Some business, some pleasure - but it’s always enjoyable, camera or not. This time, I will be taking a camera and will get some time to photograph Portland as well as along the coast a bit.
I’m really looking forward to spending some time walking the streets of Portland with my camera. Despite many visits, I’ve never really had much time to photograph the city. Then after that I will be along the coast, where I have taken a LOT of photos - and of course I will be getting more on this trip. The Oregon coastline is my favorite place in the US - it’s just so beautiful and peaceful there. Oh, and it’s photogenic too, of course.
Today’s post contains a number of shots I captured on my last visit to the Oregon coast, which was back in August of this year. I’m not sure if I will get the same vibrant and beautiful light on this trip, since I haven’t been there during this time of year before. But of course I am hopeful. And regardless, it’s beautiful even if it’s a bit drab and overcast. I will find out soon enough!
Sunset next to Haystack Rock, at Cannon Beach
This was sunrise one morning - so glad I got up!
Lovely light to end another day on Cannon Beach
Looking down on Cannon Beach
An aerial view of Cannon Beach, OR…such a beautiful stretch of coastline.
I really don’t fly my drone very much these days, and keep thinking that I might just sell it. We will see. But my suspicion is that if I get back into it, I may be able to get a smaller drone that is just as good, if not better. Regardless, that’s not what you cam here for. :-) This was captured while flying over Cannon Beach, OR which is just a stunning location, airborne or on the ground. It’s just about my favorite spot in the US.
Haystack Rock
Haystack Rock, on the beach in Cannon Beach, OR…
I have so many pictures from Cannon Beach, Oregon. I’ve been lucky enough to visit a few times, because this part of Oregon may be my favorite place in the US. It’s just so beautiful and there is something about being next to the Pacific Ocean, with these amazing sea stacks dotted along the coastline. It’s hard to get anything else done, because I just want to be out with my camera all day!
Haystack Rock sunset
A lovely sunset at Haystack Rock, in Cannon Beach, Oregon…
I absolutely adore Cannon Beach, Oregon - even though it’s a touristy little town. It still has a hold over me. Part of it is the quaint and small nature of it, and the bigger more obvious part is the incredible natural scenery that lies just a stone’s throw from their main street. The beauty is Haystack Rock, and it’s the subject of many of my photos over the course of my multiple visits to the area. In this shot, I went for a long exposure using my 10 stop filter, shooting pretty much straight into the sun. I wasn’t sure if it would result in an image worth keeping, but I’m pretty happy with the result!
Sunset in Oregon
A lovely sunset in Oregon…
Such amazing light out there in Oregon! I do love Oregon, especially the coastline around the Cannon Beach area. I have been there a few times and always come away with photos that I a proud of. This was taken on the beach down below the viewing platform at Ecola State Park. Just another example of that amazing light out in Oregon…
Last light in Oregon
Lovely last light along the Oregon coast…
I absolutely adore Oregon, it is my favorite state in the US. It’s just so beautiful, and in particular the coast around Cannon Beach is just stunning. I have shot there many times, and hope to shoot it many more times in the future. It never gets old.
Golden hour at Haystack Rock
A long exposure late one afternoon along the Oregon coast…
Ah, the beauty of the Oregon coast!
I so love the coastline of Oregon - it's my favorite spot in the US. I've visited the little town of Cannon Beach so many times that I have lost count, and of course that also means that I have a TON of photos of Haystack Rock. How can you NOT photograph that thing??
This photo is from our last visit there, which was last summer (sadly, coming up on a year now). We spent about 10 days in this area and I was snapping away quite happily. One afternoon I decided to try something a little different though, and went with a long exposure using my 10 stop filter. Using that filter allowed me to really drag the shutter here, getting a total exposure time on this one of 34 seconds.
This also gave me the benefit of those streaking clouds and that silky smooth water, two things that I love capturing when using filters like the 10 stop. If you don't have a set, give it a try, it's quite fun!
Sunset over Cannon Beach - a drone video
A little video snippet from a recent drone flight along Cannon Beach, OR...
I'm working on this whole video thing! :-)
I've been having a lot of fun flying my drone around. It gives me some interesting perspectives on things (er, over things HA!). One thing in particular that I love is taking video with it. While my video capture and editing skills are still pretty nascent, I am getting there and will keep at it. It's certainly a learning curve but I'm having fun.
While we were in Oregon, I flew a bit around Cannon Beach at sunset. It's just a gorgeous place and the light was pretty nice, too. So here's a video showing just what I'm talking about. Enjoy!
Haystack Rock from my drone
An aerial shot from Cannon Beach, OR during a stunning sunset...
I'm having fun with my drone! It's a new an interesting bit of fun for me!
I've had this drone for a couple of months now and although I haven't been shooting with it a lot, I am definitely getting a better feel for how to use it well. I still have much to learn and experiment with, but I thought I would share this photo today. I captured it during a lovely sunset in Cannon Beach, OR. The aerial perspective is just so fun and unique. I suspect there will be a lot more drone work showing up here on the blog!
Strolling through sunset
A couple strolls along the beach at sunset...
I captured this on Cannon Beach in Oregon last week.
I love Oregon and along the coastline in Cannon Beach is my favorite part of this beautiful state. I have had so much great light here, such as this sunset last week. I was out shooting long exposures at Haystack Rock when I realized that the light was much better behind me. :-)
I turn around and started walking away from the rock, and this couple was sort of walking along near me at about the same speed. I would speed up a little to get a clear shot and then by the time I got the tripod set up and ready, they were in the shot. So, I quite trying to exclude them an instead made them the subject of the shot. Worked out pretty well in my opinion!
Drone footage: Haystack Rock sunset
Here's my first published drone video, from a lovely sunset last week in Oregon. Enjoy!
I've been enjoying my drone quite a bit, and starting to learn how to better take and edit video with this addicting little machine of awesomeness. It's been fun. Here's my first "creation", if you will, which is a 20 second snippet of video from a lovely sunset I shot in Oregon last week.
I inadvertently left the audio on when I was flying, and there was a guy on the beach asking me a bunch of questions about my drone, so when I watched the footage I heard that conversation all over again! Easily enough though I was able to pull the audio out of it and instead I added in a musical clip from Cirque du Soleil, a song I love called "Alegria". I really enjoyed creating this video, with the music, so I think I will make more of these. Enjoy!
One of my favorite sunsets
An incredible display of light one evening along the Oregon coastline...
This one was a stunner!
I have mentioned here many times my love for Oregon, and in particular the coastline in and around Cannon Beach. There is just so much natural beauty in that area that you almost can't believe it. It seems unfair that one place should get so much. But, they have it and we don't, so do yourself a favor and go visit. I'm getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.
This was our last night there on that trip (well over a year ago now), and like every night there I was hoping for some decent light. Looks like I got it, right? ;-)
Those Oregon sunsets
A trio of stunning sunset shots from one of my favorite places in the world - the Oregon coast. Have a look and enjoy!
Sunsets along the Oregon coastline are beautiful.
I absolutely love Oregon, and was lucky enough to spend a chunk of last summer up there, enjoying the beauty and escaping the stifling heat and humidity of Austin. Knowing that I would be there a while, I had hoped I could capture at least a few gorgeous sunsets.
Thankfully, Mother Nature saw to it, and I got more than my fair share of them. I came home with something like 9,000 photos from that trip, and am still going through them all. But I did finally get into my Lightroom library recently and processed a few from a couple of different sunsets there. I'm dying to process more, after doing these. So much beauty!
These were all captured in Cannon Beach, Oregon, which is a beautiful little town sitting on perhaps the most scenic beach anywhere. I'm a huge fan of rocky beaches (I'm not a tropical-beach kind of guy) and it's hard to compete with Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. That thing is a BEAST!
Thanks for stopping by today!
The last sunset in Oregon
This was one of those nights that you never forget. It was our last night in Oregon on our big summer trip, and we thought it would be awesome to watch one more sunset over the Pacific. Little did we know it would turn out like this!
This one REALLY turned out amazing!
I will always look back fondly on this past summer. What, you didn't read about it yet? Suffice it to say that it was a pretty fabulous summer for this family. We're still talking about it, and probably will be for some time (like forever!).
Since we were in Oregon for a long time, and it's just so beautiful there, I spent a fair amount of time catching shots of various sunsets. Some were so-so, some were good, and some were spectacular. This one was quite possibly the best one, and it came on our last night there. Maybe Mother Nature heard my prayers. :-)
We had decided to make a return visit to Ecola State Park and just hang out, relax, and watch the sun dip into the Pacific one last time before we packed it up and left town. There had been some clouds that day and of course I am ever hopeful that they will still be around at sunset, and that it will translate into something beautiful.
It did.
As the pictures show, it was incredibly colorful and while they weren't the most dramatic cloud formations I've shot at sunset, it certainly was pretty incredible. When you add in the rugged beauty of the Oregon coastline, it's hard to beat. You can see why I love this part of the country so much. It just speaks to me I guess.
Here's a tip for when you visit Ecola State Park:
Everyone rolls into the park, leaves the car in the big parking lot there, and follows the trail straight to the viewing platform that is in front of you. You should absolutely do that. The view from that platform is excellent and leads your eye straight down the coast to Cannon Beach and it's famous monolith, Haystack Rock.
But when you are done there, head back up to the parking lot and then turn towards the Pacific and walk into the bushes there. There are some tiny trails that will lead down to a hidden beach. This will involve some scrambling on your part and possibly sliding on your butt down onto the beach, but believe me it is well worth it.
I made this same trek and saw 4 people the whole time. Just four. I basically had it to myself! I was also there at low tide, and was able to walk around the rocks and end up on the beach below the viewing platform I mentioned above. There was no one on that beach at all. There were tidepools with starfish and crabs in it. There were empty sea caves. I was in heaven!
And yes there is another, longer way to get there. You can also take a trail towards Crescent Beach which will wind you through the woods for a ways before depositing you on the beach below the viewing platform. From there you can walk just about anywhere.
However you choose to get there, just get there. Most tourists don't know about it or are not willing to put in the effort, so show up for sunset and be prepared for some awesomeness!
A stunning sunset in Cannon Beach
Sunsets are heard to beat in Oregon! I saw so many beautiful ones that I feel like this could become an Oregon sunset blog! LOL Hope you enjoy this collection of pics!
I caught a lot of fabulous sunsets in Oregon!
As I mentioned in the last post, I am back from the summer trip and getting back into the groove around here. Lots to do, and it's all good. The first thing I am trying to accomplish is to process a lot of photos, because I love to do so. It's a lot of fun.
So today I have a collection of pics from Cannon Beach, Oregon that I took during a beautiful sunset there one evening. We arrived pre-sunset and ate some pizza on the beach while exploring the nooks and crannies (and tide pools) around all the big rocks there. It was quite fun.
Once sunset started, I could see it was going to be pretty well worth sticking around, so we did. I had just the camera and one lens on me - the tripod was back home that night. So I darted here and there while the light morphed and got more and more awesome. All the while I was doing my best to steady myself so I could get a clean shot, since I didn't have the tripod to depend on.
The tide was receding and it left behind all sorts of shallow pools, which are great for capturing reflections. You can't get a reflection off of moving water (obviously), so when it puddles up like this, it's show time! Get out there and go crazy! (And I did!)