This May I went on a photography travel adventure to the pacific northwest, from the rainforest in Olympic National Park and to the coastal redwoods of Northern California. Between these I spent a few days on the Oregon Coast. I will be posting photos from these travels over the next few weeks, not necessarily in the order they happened. I start with a visit to an iconic location on the Oregon coast.
I had seen pictures of this place and made it a “must go” destination. It was close to my base in northern California, so I was able to go back several times. On my first trip, I showed up with no idea where I wanted to photograph. From the roadside pullout, I found an easy path that led to a wooden viewing platform. The photo below was taken there when I just arrived. If you look closely you will see a person standing on the land bridge.
From the viewing platform, I followed a trail to the left, trying to find a way down the the bridges. It was late in the day and the trail was steep. I had a backpack with camera gear weighing me down, making my footing less secure. I got to a place where the trail became VERY steep. Tree roots created foot and hand-holds in the dirt. I didn’t want to hike up this after sunset, so I decided to turn back.
A few days later, I returned. After a few wrong turns, I found my way down to the bridges where I wanted to be. The photo below was captured at 7:47pm, about an hour before sunset. If you look carefully, you will see a photographer with a tripod on a cliff outcrop in shadow on the left side. Click on the photo to enlarge.
I was happy I found my photo spot, but I would have liked a more colorful sunset. So, the following evening I returned for a third time.
There was already a photography there, set up with his tripod. We greeted each other. He said he was staying for the Milky Way, which would start to appear at 12:30am. He mentioned he would feel safer hiking out with another person. Unknown to him, he had tapped into a shared desire, but I was not immediately keen on the idea of waiting for several hours. I told him I would stay until 9. He showed where the Milky Way would be at different times. I agreed to stay until 12:30, then 1 and finally 1:30am.
The next two shots are composites. They are blends of two photos, one for the landscape taken during blue hour at 9:30. The other was taken for the Milky Way at 12:30am on the same night.
The Milky Way sky of the the next photo was taken at 1:30 am.
To view more photos from this experience, click here. When viewing on my photo site, I suggest clicking the slideshow (the sideways triangle) or full screen mode. Enjoy!
