Sweet Wednesday

With rain in the forecast for the next few days I talked Dave in to going with me for a morning shoot on Sweet Creek which is just 10 miles southeast of Mapleton, OR.  It is one of my favorite places to shoot in the Oregon Coast Range and is a short drive from Eugene.  I have photographed this stream in the winter, autumn and spring and they all have their charms.  Autumn is so colorful with painted  big maple leaves scattered along the stream edges.  Spring is a season of lush green and winter means high flows and stark vegetation. Today was lush.

Foot access is easy with a well maintained trail and some offshoots that lead down to the stream banks which in many places are bedrock and can be quite slick as we both found out, taking a tumble.  The flow today was about the best I have experienced in years of shooting these waterfalls.  Dave and I  stopped by last winter but the flow was extreme and was very difficult to photograph.

Leaving the parking lot you walk upstream and are met with a series of falls, pools and cascades all of which make for interesting shots.  The one below is the first one you come to and the succeeding ones were taken as we made our way upstream. (These images were all taken with a Canon 5D4 fitted with a 16-35mm wide angle lens equipped with a circular polarizer filter in order to cut the glare on the water.)

Just a short walk uphill and around a couple of curves you come to a streambank access trail that leads down to the channel bedrock.  Just doing that little bit of off trail walking allows for framing interesting shots.  IMHO

Up the trail we went to another small gnarly access trail and while you would think some embryo of discretion or simple common sense would have served us well but NO! – down the hill we went to again frame up what we hoped would be interesting shots.  The bedrock was steep, wet and slick in spots and we both took a spill.  I landed on my well padded butt which I am sure will be quite colorful tomorrow morning.  Dave went down also and I think damaged some camera gear, adding to the pain.

The image below is another in this series and is as far up the stream as we went.  There is a waterfall at the top that I do not find very interesting so with rising sunlight in a blue sky we headed downhill.

If you are looking for a beautiful and relatively easy walk I sure do recommend Sweet Creek and if you are in the mood it is an additional easy drive to Florence and the Coast.

As usual if you click on an image you can get a larger view.  I am grateful for any comment you wish to pass along.

 

Coastal Dunes

It  doesn’t have to be a great vista, though those are my favorites.
It can be a simple leaf or flower.
But when I allow myself to find peace in a landscape,
I begin to find it in myself as well.  

– Dewitt Jones

(These images are best viewed larger – click on the image)

Standing on top of a large dune in the Oregon Dunes Recreation area just south of Florence, OR I felt that peace that Dewitt found come over me – manifested by quiet and a certain intensity and concentration.

As I looked down at an expanse of sand punctuated with clumps of grass and tracked by previous visitors I began to compose images that turned out to be what I have come to call Natural Abstracts.  The morning light was soft still  enough to cast pastel colors on the sand and I spent time framing up shots that I hope present that soft gentle morning.

The movement of the sand and the play of the light sure do create visual interest and that is what I was going for in the above image.

The sun began to climb in the almost clear blue sky and I began to think in Black and White.   I think the texture, pattern and line found in the dunes can be really accentuated in B&W.  There is stand of wind blown trees along the top of the dunes that really help to set off the images and give one an idea of the scale of the dunes.  In their own way I love the simple direct manner of Black and White images.

After an hour or so the sound of motorcycle/dirt bikes was beginning to increase and it seemed that it was time to leave.  It was a much needed excursion after so much rain and cold weather.  Standing under clear blue sky, albeit a bit chilly, with wonderful dune patterns all around made my Sunday.

Bandon visit

From time to time I have come across comments by other photographers saying that Bandon is their favorite place to shoot on the Oregon Coast and I have to agree.  Shooting in a wonderful place is great but sharing it with my friend and fellow photographer, Susan Dimock made for a fun evening.  She and her husband Steve, another great photographer, own a delightful boutique motel, the La Kris Inn, (http://www.lakrisinn.com/) in Bandon.  If you are the area I highly recommend you stay with them.

We arranged to meet at 4 PM and head out to Face Rock Wayside for an evening on the beach shooting the sunset.  What a treat for me.  There was a very low tide and some interesting clouds forming all of which, to me, indicated a good evening ahead.  We started at what is known as the Wizard’s Hat with about 40 minutes left before official sunset.

There were a number of other photographers on the beach and it was interesting to watch as we all jockeyed around looking for ‘The Shot’.  Watched one fellow, who had a Pentax medium format DSLR camera with a big lens on his tripod, lose that rig to the ocean – just a dunking not  a whole loss but it was painful to even watch.

After shooting all along the beach – heading north, we came to a spot where it seemed the evening light and the official sunset would come together with the sand and rocks on the beach.  Below is my attempt to capture that evening light on the wet rocks and sand.  Click for a larger view.

The following morning found me in the parking lot above the beach from the night before.  It was overcast so not much drama from the morning light, instead nice pastel colors.  This is a long exposure of 25 seconds at f10 and ISO of 800 – 16 mm lens. Yes it was pretty dark when I took this shot.  Love to hear the booming of the ocean against the rocks on a quiet, still morning.

Hope to get back to Bandon again soon – not that long a drive from Eugene.  If you want to see some of Steve and Susan’s work they both have pages on FB – Steve Dimock and Susan Dimock.  I recommend a viewing.

Comments are always welcome and while I have quit asking for travel companions please know that the door is always open.

Coast Range autumn

The plan for the morning was to return to an area in the Coast Range that Dave and I had seen last summer and commented at the time that it held good potential for an autumn color shoot.  We headed out there this morning.  The leaf color has been coming on strong here in the Valley and we were sure that it carried into the hills.  Not to mention that there was morning fog in the weather forecast and that can always add interest to images.

We took Highway 36 toward the town of Deadwood and the first stop we came to was a crossing of a stream that ran along and across the highway.  Neither of us knew the name when we pulled over and geared up but a quick look at the ODOT signpost on the bridge told us it was the Long Tom river.  What I previously knew of the Long Tom was a slow moving and rather muddy stream that wandered through the farmlands west of Eugene and so to see this portion of it actually looking like a mountain stream was a bit of an eye opener.

We shot above and below the bridge and even bushwhacked down through the brush in a few spots.  It was a wonderful way to start a morning of shooting.  I have many more images to process but just thought I would share a few of the river and as always they look better if you give them a click to enlarge them on your screen.

The one above was taken along the stream bank after some brush pounding.  I did not place any of those leaves on the log just in case you were wondering.

The image below is looking upstream and to me is simply peaceful which I think I needed in these turbulent times. The last image is looking downstream from along the bridge crossing and will give you an idea of how this stream does have a bit of a mountain stream character.  Pools and riffles.

Comments are always welcome.

Coastal Dunes

“Taking a photograph is an act of possession, a way of making something visible while simultaneously freezing it in place, locked in time”

Olivia Laing

Five-thirty on Thursday morning found Dave Hill and I on Highway 126 headed west for a set of coastal dunes south of the beach town of Florence.  The highway is normally busy even at 0530 but with an on-going overnight re-paving project conditions were a bit tight and at times slow.  The highway intersects a portion of Fern Ridge reservoir and is a turnpike at that point – really only one place to safely pull over, mount up a camera and shoot the sunrise.  Just happened to look in the mirrors as we sped along and said “Oh that is really nice”  The turnout was perfectly placed for a stop.  Serendipity!! This is what I captured.  Precursor to a hot day.

On the Way West

The dunes I had in mind are about ten miles south of Florence – a boardwalk, trails and a nice visitor facility.  When one envisions going to the beach, images of people frolicking on the sand come to mind.  Such is not the case with these dunes.  They are very steep and while they may firm up at various times in the year right now the sand is deep and loose and as a result makes for very difficult hikin loaded down with camera gear.  We did not frolic — we floundered – 1 step forward and 2 steps back!!

Despite hiking conditions the sand was un-tracked, lined and contoured from the ocean winds and I think very interesting.  We went our separate ways open to what presented itself to us.  At times like this I try to think in terms of abstract images – made up of texture and line and the three below are what came from this ‘seeing”  exercise.  It was very foggy and the first image I think portrays those conditions.

Subtle color blocks in the sand

Unbroken intersecting lines.

Interrupting the flow

After some time spent wandering I started back up a very steep and unstable dune with my head down — looking at the sand — and what should present itself to me but a natural sand painting.

Circles in the Sand

(if you click on any of these images you can get a larger on-screen view)

We headed back to Florence for a bit of coffee and a morning breakfast treat and then on to home via Highway 34 which wends its way through the east side of the Coast Range thru such little towns as Deadwood and Triangle Lake.  I think we may have found a place to shoot autumn color as the streams were lined with deciduous trees – alder and maple – and the streambed was punctuated with large boulders.

Comments are always welcome.

 

Dramatic Evening

I’m sure you know. If you’re an artist of one kind, you’re probably an artist of many kinds. Because like light, artistry and passion flood everywhere. They pour through cracks.

Karen Hutton

It seemed as if light conditions improved all day – heavy clouds finally dissipating and some sun breaking through.  Dave Hill and I once again headed for the wetlands and the fields of Camas Lily.  I sure hope you all are not getting tired of seeing them.  I certainly am not tired of shooting them and I look forward to this blooming time every year.

Last night was dramatically spectacular and as sunset came on the colors changed almost by the minute.  The three images below are a bit of a time sequence starting from when we first walked out into the blooms and ending on the way back to the car when Dave exclaimed about the ramp of clouds coming across the wetlands.

The next image I think is my favorite of the night and it was so nice of that white Camas lily to line up for me. 😀

And finally the one taken on the walk back to the car.

Be sure to click on these images for a larger view.

T’was a wonderful night. I think we both used that adjective many times in the hour or so we were there.  The blooms are still out there waiting for your visit.

Shore Acres storm

A couple of months ago I watched a re-run of an Oregon Field Guide episode that in part featured Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay/Charleston.  In that episode they pointed out a couple of websites that indicated surf height.  I think mostly for surfers in the area but I have been hawking them looking for high wave conditions.  With the current line up of storms off the Pacific it looked really good if one was willing to put up with the storm conditions.  I was.  The forecast for the area was for a break in the rain this morning so after my workout I headed out.  It takes a little over 2.5 hours to get there but it was worth the trip.  As I drove It rained and rained and I found myself questioning the weatherman for sure but when I got to within 3 miles of the park the rain stopped.  I would not call it clear but no rain made for a reasonably comfortable outing despite the 40-50 mph winds that were gusting over the bluffs.  That all lasted for about 1.5 hours and then CAME THE RAINS!! — in sheets — riding the wind.  That last half hour of shooting was flat out miserable.  I was soaked as I returned to the car with what I hoped were some decent images.

The first one is looking north from a visitors trail just off the parking lot. The breakers over those spires of rock were amazing.

I changed lenses and added a 6-stop neutral density filter.  The camera position was about the same but the wide angle lens added to the scene and the filter slowed the action.  My favorite so far of the 300+ shots I took.  Lots to work thru.

Finally and this was mostly just for fun I tried to capture the wind and how it was moving not only the vegetation but my camera as well.  Probably not to too many folks taste.

Be sure to click on an image to get a larger view and as always comments are more that welcome as are companions on these outings.

A Sweet Morning

I try to apply colors like words that shape poems, like notes that shape music.

—-Joan Miro

Dave Hill and I had a e-discussion on the location for an outing on Tuesday  – Cascades vs the Coast Range and settled on a morning trip to Sweet Creek in the Oregon Coast range.  The weather forecast on Monday called for a dry day on Tuesday then cycling into almost a week of showers and rain.  I am not complaining – we need the moisture after a long dry spell.

Sweet Creek is one of my favorite places to photograph.  (Ran into a fellow photographer who had driven down from Portland after reading and hearing about it – I think he was impressed.) We both thought that the color would be almost gone or at least dwindling down to the point of being the odd, hard to find location.  Such was not the case and as we drove through the Coast Range toward Mapleton the color just seemed to get better.  Fog wound its way through the old growth conifers and along the Siuslaw River and made for even more interesting photo opportunities.

The trail head is about 10 miles up the Sweet Creek watershed from Mapleton and it too was a beautiful drive.  The hike was slow as we could barely go 100 feet with exclaiming on the beauty before us.  I for one really shot slowly and tried to compose the images as best I could.  The colors were still in great form but that may change with the coming weather.

There is an area along the stream that is bare rock and it was rather steep and slippery and demanded that we walk carefully to get to spots that offered what we hoped would be good locations.  The bedrock banks also offered wonderful scatters of colorful leaves as is shown below.

There are numerous waterfalls and chutes visible along the trail and sometimes the adjacent vegetation seems to have purposely grown in such a way as to offer pleasing images.

As I walked the trail I came across a simple clean image of a fresh Sword fern frond and took 9 images that stacked into a single one.  Click on the image for a larger view.

We hiked further on along the elevated walk ways and found a place that seemed to sum up what we had experienced, IMHO, and headed back to the car.  We shot for over 2 hours and probably did not hike more than a mile.

Last shot of the morning for me.

I still have images to process and may put them up on FB later today or tomorrow and I suggest you go over to Dave Hill’s blog (see Links) for what I am sure are great and different shots from mine.  Thanks for looking and Stay dry!!

Kentucky Falls

I realized yesterday after mailing my current camera to Adorama in Elizabeth, N.J. that I would be without a camera, save my little film one, for the next ten days at least.  That is the approximate time it will take to finalize a trade-in deal with Adorama and get the new one.  Indicators of addiction withdrawal started almost immediately but I was rescued by my friend Dave Hill who graciously loaned me one of his spare cameras.  I got it before the DT’s set in and I headed out this morning to the Coast Range with the idea of photographing Kentucky Falls on the Siuslaw National Forest.

The access road initially runs adjacent to what I think is Whittaker Creek and the shade and morning light made for some very interesting patterns and scenes.

It has been a while since I was at Kentuchy Falls and I have never seen it or photographed it at such a low water level.   The first image below is of the entire drop and then, as usual, I focused on the details that I could find.

After enjoying my time at the base of the falls I started up the trail to the parking lot.  That is when I discovered a nest of bees or perhaps they discovered me but either way we had a confrontation that resulted in some strong language and much swatting with my hat.  I was on a very steep section of trail so much running was out of the question.  The sting that hurts the most is in a joint on my thumb.  BTW:  Tripods do not make good swatting tools!!

After catching my breath and topping out along the trail I saw reflected morning  colors in the bedrock pools below me and I took the following natural abstract.

It was fun being back and seeing it in such different flow conditions opened up lots of new views.  As always if you click on an image you can get a larger view on your monitor.

Bandon in Winter

Dave Hill and I spent a couple of days in Bandon on the Oregon Coast hoping for a sunset and sunrise shoot amidst the sea stacks along the beach.  According to a number of people we missed the really spectacular evenings from the previous couple of days but I for one thoroughly enjoyed this trip.

On my last visit to Bandon I met Susan Dimock also shooting the sunset on the beach and through a mutual acquaintance, Bruce McCammon, came to find out that she and her husband Steve own and operate a lovely little boutique motel in the town of Bandon and that is where Dave and I stayed. The motel is called the La Kris Inn and is a charming alternative to the large chain types motels that can be found around town.  (http://www.lakrisinn.com/)  Additionally, Steve and Susan are both excellent nature and wildlife photographers.  Their images grace each room of the motel.  They graciously treated Dave and I to a extended, I am afraid a bit too long, evening photography conversation.  (http://www.susandimock.com  and http://www.stevedimock.com)

After checking into our rooms and getting some advice from Susan we headed for the beach near Face Rock.  There were some interesting clouds at first but they tended to dissipate as the evening went on, much to our disappointment.  The Black and White image below was almost the first shot of the evening for me and looks north up the beach toward Face Rock.

Heading south on the beach we skirted the waves and the rocks and found a number of places to set up and shoot.  I have a lot of similar images to process but the one below is a rather typical shot from that location on the beach.

I had asked Susan for directions to what I described a spire and she told me that it was just to the left as you made your way down the stairs and that it was called The Wizards Hat.  I found it easily and set up to see if I could get a shot.  There was a gull standing on top of it most of the time I shot.  My name for the image below is “Standing on the Sorting Hat” – for all you Harry Potter fans.

Sunset came on and we headed to car, dinner and a glass of wine.  We chatted about sunrise opportunities and did check of the Face Rock area the next morning but opted for the South Jetty and the Bandon lighthouse.  After a bit the morning sun caught the lighthouse and it stood out nicely on the jetty.

On my wandering along the beach waiting for the sun to hit the lighthouse I found what I think is almost another natural abstract.  The pattern of the sand, pools and morning light really caught my eye.  As always if you click on the image you can get a larger view on your monitor.