New Fine Art Pictures of Cannon Beach, Cape Kiwanda and Mount Hood
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We first headed to the coast at Cannon Beach to photograph Haystack Rock at sunset. It turned out to be heavy overcast and covered in fog, so we hoped for the morning. At first, it wasn’t looking too good then either, but as the sun came up behind us the clouds began to absorb and reflect some really nice color. This turned out to be one of the most dramatic skies I have ever photographed.
Next up was the coast down south at Waldport. The beach there is flat and seems to go out forever at low tide, but once you get way out there, the photographic opportunities seem endless. The sunrise was once again lighting up the clouds offshore, and while not as dramatic as Cannon Beach, pretty darn nice.
We headed back north to Pacific City to make an effort at Cape Kiwanda. Two previous trips there did not yield an acceptable image. We hiked up the tall sand dunes and out to the end of the Cape to be able to shoot back at the orange sandstone formations that the Cape is known for. We even got the cooperation of the Pacific Ocean with some nice waves. So, the third time here was the charm.
Next we went inland to the area around Bend, Oregon to shoot sunset at Smith Rock State Park and sunrise at Sparks Lake. I have to say that both worked out extremely well.
Our next location was Trillium Lake up near Government Camp, but it was just too windy to get any good reflections so no sunset image that day. We left there at 3:45 am the next morning to get up to the north side of Mount Hood before the sunrise would begin to light it up. The plan worked to perfection and it turned out the setting moon was in exactly the right place at the right time. I wish I could say I planned it out that way.
We concluded our trip up at the Columbia River Gorge, where we were able to get a nice shot overlooking the Columbia River and the Vista House. Added to this were some images at Gorton Creek, Horsetail Falls and Ponytail Falls. The hike uphill to Ponytail was serious, but it was well worth it. The lush greenery in the Gorge is unlike anywhere else in the U.S.
Next up will be an expedition to Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. I’m hoping for some summer storms to complement the landscape.
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