Bandon Sunset

I arrived in Bandon Oregon to a big coastal storm. The weather was moving fast, it was cold and windy, but balmy in comparison to the 7100 foot rim of Crater Lake I had been at just 12 hours earlier. I walked down the beach amazed by all the sea stacks. I decided I needed a better vantage point and the rogue waves lapping at the shallow beach scared me (after my wipe out a few weeks ago) so I decided to climb up on a rock...

 

A BIG ROCK.

 

I finally found a good one that was very high but the surf was reaching it so I knew it would be risky...I might get up there and find the tide wouldnt receed to let me down. I did it anyway...what the heck, right? I get up there and when I look back at the path I just took I realized going up was a hell of a lot easier. Getting down would not be easy. Instead of worrying about who and how I would be rescued, I decided to shoot and deal with that later.

 

As I sat there watching the weather roll through I didn't think I'd get any color and figured this would be a monochrome shot, at best. Then, these giant waves came rolling in and the sun broke through a small hole and eluminated the entire scene. I quickly fired off a few shots and then the it started pouring.

 

I don't know exactly how I did it but I managed to climb back down that huge steep sea stack, waited for the surf to pull back enough to give me sand to jump too and ran up the beach, chased by a big wave.

 

I probably looked like a total goof (don't answer that) but it was fun.

A recent capture of the Oregon coast during a Christmas journey to see family.

 

I personally liked the perspective this vantage point gives...I had to climb up on a rock

which wasnt easy but I'm glad I did!

Excellent light & composition ^^^ Best regards

 

***Ali***

No words!!!

Just amazing lines and colors, I like it a lot.

I am so loving the swirling waves amidst the tack sharp jumble of rocks. Way to go to pull off a difficult and beautiful image!

Great light, DOF, composition, and story to boot. I really like all of the flowing water going in so many directions.

Great stuff Stephen. It was worth the effort but be careful out there!

Excelente composicion y punto de vista. No he podido puntuar el maximo que se merece. Saludos

Great composition ,wonderful details ,regards

a sensational pictures, a lovely light run perfectly with the long exposure, a fantastic place that you have been able to exploit well.

complimenti

Simone

Very much worth the effort, I'm glad you got up and down ok. The color, composition, sense of motion is fantastic.

Lovely image, beautiful colors and mood!

Wonderful shot, Stephen.

This is one of my favorite areas of the Oregon coast (despite the existence of Bandon), and you've given a beautiful portrayal here. Your use of a long shutter to render the lines of the water is dead on. The wide angle lens gives a dynamic presentation of this giant rock garden. My one nit is that I'd dial down the magenta cast in the shadows, and bump up the low-end contrast, so that the "blacks" are a bit blacker. Nits, however. This is a very nice rendering. Cool story, too!

Fantastic

Great movement in the water makes it very dynamic. I should only remove a little of the purple/magenta colors out of the water, but that's just my thought :)

I love the purple hues of the water, and the softness of the swirling waves. This is incredibly beautiful! If I had tried this my husband would be so upset and worried for me. I am glad you took the risk to make this photograph. You be careful out there.

An amazing picture of great beauty. A fantastic landscape and well captured wave motion. You deserve a 7/7 for the effort and for the high quality outcome.