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.
The day ends in Bandon
A stunner of a sunset in Bandon, OR from a few years ago…I still remember it vividly!
This was an incredible sunset in Bandon, Oregon!
We had arrived late in the afternoon and settled into our room, before heading out for a quick bite. I knew I had a little time before sunset, but of course I didn’t want to be rushed coming back and getting my gear. Luckily our hotel was across the street from this location. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
The light started out ok but as you can see it really just exploded on me and turned out to be an amazing sunset. Don’t you love it when that happens?
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…
An amazing sunset in Carmel
An incredible sunset on the beach in Carmel, CA - I was quite happy that evening!
Sometimes it just all comes together!
I love to shoot sunset as much as the next person, maybe more. So when I am traveling to a lovely destination such as Carmel, CA and I happen to also get some amazing light, well that just makes my day. I've had plenty of trips where I go somewhere awesome and the light is crappy, but sadly there's not much to do about that. Just take your shots and move on. But now and then the forces align and you get a stunning sunset on the beach. It does happen!
Catching sunset in Carmel
A stunning sunset in Carmel, CA - an incredibly quaint and beautiful spot in northern CA!
I do love to visit Carmel, CA! Such a great spot for a sunset!
Have you been to Carmel before? It's a lovely little village - yes, I would call it a village - down by the sea a bit south of San Jose, CA. It's super expensive but so quaint, beautiful and quite fun to visit. I have been several times and really never tire of it.
On our crazy-long road trip last summer, we passed through there for a couple of nights, which means of course that I was on the beach firing away at the sunset on one of those nights. Luckily, I picked the right one (our first night there) because it was gorgeous, while the second night the sunset was not that great. Hey, sometimes you guess right and get lucky!
So I strolled downhill to the beach and basically hung out for a while, firing away and chatting with others that were there. Of course some folks asked me to take their picture - I obliged, naturally - and otherwise I stood around enjoying nature's bounty with a lot of strangers. Good times, really!
Walking into a screensaver
The stunning beaches and colorful water in Anguilla are almost unreal...
Walking along the beaches in Anguilla is a bit like walking into a screensaver. The white sugary-sand beaches are pristine and that water just begs to be photographed. Honestly, you know I love to post-process my photos but who needs to do that when you are capturing this??
Those crazy Oregon sunsets
A sunset that goes down in the record books for me...from Bandon, Oregon
A stunning display of color and light in Bandon, Oregon
I absolutely love Oregon, and specifically the coastal towns that offers such incredible vistas. Luckily, I've also had my share of incredible sunsets there, too, such as this one from Bandon. Bandon is a very small town far along the southern coast, but it's well worth a visit for the incredible scenery along the beach in the area. There are these massive sea stacks here and there and you can literally wander for hours exploring and photographing them. So awesome!
Sunny and hot in Anguilla
A sunny afternoon on the beach in Anguilla...so beautiful and peaceful. And warm! :-)
For those of you someplace cold - here's a photo to warm you up!
I still have a TON of photos to edit and share from our trip to Anguilla earlier this year. It's a gorgeous island and one worth visiting. Sadly, it was badly damaged in Hurricane Irma but I read a recent report that it is bouncing back well. I am so glad to hear that. It's not only beautiful but the people are just so nice there. I highly recommend a visit if you get the chance!
Burnout in Oregon
A stunning sunset along the southern Oregon coastline...
Capturing the last light on the Oregon coast!
Sunset is always fun to shoot, even when the light stinks. But of course it's WAY better when you get some gorgeous light, and doubly so when you are somewhere beautiful like along the Oregon coast.
I grabbed this one while in Bandon, OR down along the souther coastline. It's an amazing stretch well worth visiting at least once. There are these incredible seastacks that jut out of the earth, sort of reaching for the sky. They are water and weather beaten and just gorgeous.
Golden hour in Anguilla
Golden light over a serene beach in Anguilla...
The beaches in Anguilla are amazing!
When we visited Anguilla earlier this year, I was amazed at just how beautiful this little spot is. I captured so many photos of serene, beautiful beaches in all sorts of light. This was just before sunset and as you can see I had the place nearly to myself. I'm not sure where everyone was, but I am very glad to have been standing there while this was happening!
Sadly, Hurricane Irma came through and devastated large parts of this island. According to reports I read online, this location (which is at the Four Seasons Resort) was heavily damaged, so I wish them all a speedy recovery.
A lovely Floridian sunset
A pair of photos from a lovely sunset in Destin, Florida...
I'm hoping that Florida is recovering from the hurricane!
Watching all the hurricane madness in Houston and across Florida and the Caribbean is a pretty sobering thing to do. I feel blessed that I don't know anyone (at least that I have heard of yet) that was seriously impacted by these terrible storms. Such a tragic situation.
I do love Florida and have found many spots there that I enjoy visiting. This is Destin, and it's definitely a beautiful spot (and to my knowledge, not impacted by the storm). We were there well over a year ago for a couple of days, just enough time to squeeze in a little sunset shooting. I'm hoping the beaches and the people are all back together and moving forward soon.
Golden hour in Anguilla
Gorgeous golden hour light at the Four Seasons Hotel, Anguilla...
A lovely late afternoon in Anguilla!
We spent a few nights here at the Four Seasons Hotel Anguilla, and basically spent each day on the beach and then spent our happy hour/dinner hours at the bar by the pool. This was about a 15 second walk away, so I would just wait for the light to get all awesome, then take a few steps and fire away. It was pretty easy, I confess, but someone had to do it! :-)
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!
Anguilla is a dream
We took a trip down to the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean, and it's just amazing!
We recently took a trip to Anguilla, and it's amazing!
Truthfully, I knew nothing about Anguilla - not even how to pronounce it correctly (rhymes with vanilla). I had heard the name but that's about it. Turns out it's an amazing little island with some INCREDIBLY clear water. It's like walking into a screensaver!
We hit the beach every day, did some snorkeling, sat by the pool - basically we relaxed, and it was awesome. We needed it. Now that I am back and getting back into the groove, I am working through all the pics I took there. They mostly look like this one! LOL More to come!