Hello and welcome back! I was looking at my blog entries over the past several weeks and realized that I’ve really focused on travel photos taken in urban setting. So for my twentieth blog entry, it seemed appropriate to discuss a travel landscape. I shot “Canon Beach” during a quick trip to the Oregon Coast in October 2009. I used a shutter speed of 1/320, aperture of f/9, shot at ISO 100.
I went to college just west of Portland, so the drive to the coast was only a few short hours. During my time in Oregon, I usually visited the coast a couple of times a year, which was always a welcome change of scenery during my busy undergrad years. Canon Beach is probably my favorite town on the Oregon Coast. I’m sure ’80s movies fans will recognize the iconic Haystack Rock from the cult classic film The Goonies. The oceanside itself is lined with houses, both small and large, which extend away from the water towards a quaint main street lined with small restaurants, shops, and galleries. In the late fall and winter months, it’s a wonderfully quiet town. I’ve never been in the summer, so I’ve always had the luxury of feeling like I had the town to myself.
The actual beach area is a large, open expanse filled with sand, surf, and the occasional oddly shaped rock protruding from the sea floor. On a sunny day, people can be seen sitting on the beach enjoying a good book, playing fetch with their dogs, or dipping a toe or two into the chilly Pacific Ocean. During the quieter seasons, it is a nice place to watch and listen to the sounds of the ocean while trying to forget the stresses of everyday life.
When I shot this image, I was drawn to the curved shape of the footprints, which just so happened to perfectly lead the eye to Haystack Rock. I debated and debated whether or not to convert the photo to black and white or maintain its original color. In the end, I decided that black and white better reflected the stillness of Canon Beach that I had experienced that day and really drew attention to the texture and varying shades of the sand and the contrast of the sun, ocean mist, and dark rock.
Thanks for reading! Until next time…
Recent Comments