Most of the Family and I just got back from a mini trip to the central Oregon Coast. Florence to be exact where we rode Quads at
Winchester Bay in the heart of dune country just south of Reedsport Oregon. I highly recommend this activity. If you are a first timer and want to get an idea of the sport there are many rental options in the area. I recommend
Dune Country ATV rentals.
One of the main attractions of the trips for me was to visit and photograph the nearby lighthouses. The Umpqua lighthouse is located virtually next door to the previously mentioned Dune Country and in the heart of Discovery Bay. The Lighthouse itself sits amongst the Coastguard barracks and housing making photography very uninspiring. The lighthouse is well kept and has been freshly painted. The only good vantage point for photography is from out in the dunes area looking back at the lighthouse. You may be able to eliminate most of the distracting elements from this vantage point.
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| Heceta Head Lighthouse |
Next we set off approximately 1-hour north on the #101 to visit the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Just prior to reaching the parking area you will be rewarded with a spectacular
view of the lighthouse from a roadside viewpoint. Once inside the parking area there is a self-pay area that you will need to purchase a $3.00 parking permit from. There are nice well maintained trails that take you right up to the lighthouse where guided tours are available for those that are inclined to walk inside and hear a little history about the area and the adjacent
haunted lightkeepers house. The legend of the
Gray Lady.
As far as photography goes, there are many compositions to choose from and as a matter of fact a trail will lead you directly behind the lighthouse so you may get
this vantage point.
Ideally the best scenario is to sit patiently behind the lighthouse looking west and wait for that incredible sunset and capturing the glow of the Fresnel lens as it makes it’s revolutions. This would require some planning and walking out in the dark of night.
I wish to make a trip back to do just that and in addition would spend several hours at the
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. Along with “ Cooks Chasm “ and “ Spouting Horn “ the park offers so much photographically in terms of big waves and lava formations. It should be on the short list of every landscape photographer.
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| Heceta Coastline with Cape Creek Bridge |
Happy shooting. Shawn….
I’ve seen such beautiful photography come out of the Bandon, Oregon area; yet I’ve never accessed the beach the several times through the area until recently. Bandon is a very small community with only one public beach access sign from Hwy #101. What make Bandon’s beaches so photogenic are the numerous sea stacks that are tightly bunched in this one stretch of beach. As I approached the beach from Hwy #101 the first area I came to was called Oregon Islands; an area I had never heard of before. I didn’t recognize this area from photos I’ve seen during my research for this trip.
It was getting late in the day and the wind was blowing hard at 50mph gusts. I scouted the area for a short while and then we called it a day and proceeded north to Coos Bay to stay the night. That next morning Laurie and I drove back to Bandon on a much calmer day, also there were patches of blue sky with fluffy clouds. I was getting somewhat hopeful for a good shoot. As we arrived at Oregon Islands once again we simply drove south on Beach Loop Dr. for ¼ mile and arrived at Face Rock State Park. I immediately recognized this area by the many sea stacks as the area I had seen, and wanted to shoot. I donned my extreme weather coveralls, rubber boots and wool hat; grabbed my tripod and camera bag and set off for some fun. There are so many compositions to be had here I could spend several days at sunrise and sunset staying very busy enjoying this area in the future. I noticed some very nice rental homes overlooking the area and thought of a future 3-day weekend here would be great.
