Mirror, Bandon Beach, Oregon 7 pano

Given the dramatic winter skies on the Oregon coast, the quality of the light and color defy description. Within a few minutes, the coastline transitions from a dull blue-gray to a rich warm color palette.  Fog, rain drizzle and clouds create a natural ever shifting light filter. A small clearing in the clouds can make for dramatic light beams, radiant color bursts in the surrounding sky and remarkable clarity in highlighted beach areas.

Dawn Bandon Beach Oregon 3 pano My most challenging and rewarding photo shoot was our final morning at Bandon Beach.  While the detailed weather forecast called for clear skies, it rained steadily from 6:30 AM until about 8:30 AM.   While it was still raining, portions of the sky cleared, revealing a glorious sky aglow in subtle pastel colors.  Low Tide, Glow Bandon, Beach

Dawn, Bandon Beach, Oregon 2 My impressions, as I frantically unpacked my camera gear from the plastic covered backpack:  Iconic Face Rock and portions of the distant horizon are awash in a heavenly pink glow.  At the same time, the sky backdrop for the closer sea stack rock formations is a surreal mix of vivid pink, gold and muted purple colors.  This all lasts about 15 or 20 minutes, before yielding to more direct eastern sunlight piercing through the thick clouds cover.  Aglow Cannon Beach Oregon

While I stayed around about another hour photographing tide pools and boulders in bright light, my real work as a photographer occurred in that brief period of special, ethereal morning illumination.  

If only we could replicate or stop time in these special moments. Well, we do so, in part, through our rich memories of a glorious time in nature and two dimensional photographic representations.    

Marcus W. Reinkensmeyer

Related Posts:  Oregon Coast Photography: Part 1 – Itinerary, Oregon Coast Photography: Part 2 - Weather to Behold, Oregon Coast Photography:  Part 3 – Oregon Dunes,   Coastal Photography: Point Reyes National Seashore.