Oregon Coastal Photography: Part 3 - Oregon Dunes
Our brief morning visit to Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area was both exhilarating and frustrating. Looking back on that morning, our first challenge was a self -imposed time limit of one hour on the dunes. This crazy time crunch was necessitated by our overly ambitious schedule, including the five hour drive north to Cannon Beach that same day.
Also, on the dunes, we encountered a single set of fresh footprints which seemingly traversed every interesting crevice or ridge line in our line of sight. I still wonder whether we were following in the steps of another photographer, one leaving no discernable tripod marks in the sand.
That said, we worked around the foot prints and I was delighted to come upon a small reflecting pool in a low lying area of the dunes. This "oasis" provided a focal point and some smaller scale photo opportunities.
While the dunes are pristine, they are not as high or dramatic as those in Death Valley or White Sands National Parks. Yet, the complex dune ripples and textures provided a rich array of subject matter for abstract photography in the early morning light.
Covering an expanse of nearly 50 miles, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area extends along the Oregon coast from Florence to Coos Bay. The area is readily accessible from Highway 1, offering camping areas, hiking trails and some designated areas for motorized vehicles.
We accessed the dunes from the John Dollenback Dunes trailhead, near the Eel Creek Campground, just off Highway 101.
Marcus W. Reinkensmeyer
Related Posts: Oregon Coast Photography: Part 1 – Itinerary, Oregon Coast Photography: Part 2 - Weather to Behold, Black and White Digital Photography: A Peaceful Surrender; Shutterbug Features Reinkensmeyer's "Ripples," New Mexico Landscape Photography, White Sands Dunes Formations, Coastal Photography: Point Reyes National Seashore, California.