Oregon Coast Workshop Photo Tour

Hello to all of you photographers. I just got back from teaching a photo workshop on the Oregon Coast workshop this last weekend with Adrian Klein.  I just I got to tell you we had a blast and even though we did not have the best weather I have not laughed as hard as I did in years. You know sometimes weather does not shine down on you as would like but you make the best of it ; well we had a share of storms and fog but we made the best of the situation. I was surprised at how big the waves were and when mixed with the fog we got some unexpected surprises.

For this workshop we decided to rent a house in Lincoln City that would hold a good number of us so that we could get to know each other better. We all met on the Friday at the house and went over some details before heading to Cape Kiwanda. I promised I wanted to show the class some of the lesser known places on the Oregon coast but still would be stunning to see. So for sunset on Friday we decided to hit the back of Cape Kiwanda by accessing it about a mile north of Pacific City. To get there you make a left at unmarked dirt road which makes its way down to the beach. From there a 4x 4 vehicle can drive along to the beach to the backside of the cliffs of Cape Kiwanda. Once there half of us had cars that could make and the others well we were making the long hike in. Once we all gathered together we made our way first to the arch and practiced shooting the waves at different shutter speeds.

Some of us got a little crazier then others – I speaking about you Tiju who decided to make his way out onto the rocks out in the middle of everything as the waves crashed all around. I know have done some crazy things but it seemed like he might be taking the cake on this one. After shooting the arch some of us made our way up the sand dunes to the top of Cape Kiwanda; unfortunately things were a lot tougher then we thought and about half ways we realized were not getting to make it top of the cliffs for sunset. Note to self always take the easier route when trying to get somewhere for sunset. Anyways, we decided at least were going to have some fun going down and as we decided to return to our youths as we raced down the dunes. After making it down we realized we had a rogue among one of us – I am talking about you MILES ! Miles decided to try to make it to the top for sunset and found himself with one of the toughest tasks trying to make it back. Anyways, Miles finally back to the rest of the group and we all headed for a feast to the infamous Pelican Brewery were we were glad to still be alive. Once we all realized we had stuffed ourselves with too much food we sluggishly made our way back to the house. By the time we made it back it was almost one in the morning and sunrise was going to be impossible.

So instead we decided to sleep in and go to breakfast at the Pig n Pancake. On a full stomach again we made our way for a morning hike to the Cascade Head Preserve Area. Once at the trailhead we saw the sun trying to make its way through the fog and we all got some great sun ray shots.

So I guess it worked out not making the sunrise and going later. Later in the day, we made our way down the coast watching the waves grow out of control and made a few stops along the way to stop and shoot the waves at Boiler Bay State Park.

So even though we did not get sun we were getting some great atmosphere to shoot the coast. Anyways we travelled up north to Oceanside for sunset and as we got closer the weather we noticed it was going to be raining and everyone decided to make the best of the situation. I have to admit what a great group to still want to go out in the rain and shoot – man you guys are an inspiration for sure….

Next time I will be talking about the new updates to Photomatix Pro specifically Exposure Fusion

So after some getting completely soaked and spending almost half an hour to get a group photo together because it was so wet we decided to go back and talk all night about Photoshop; funny thing when you get photographers together as it seems to always lead back to something about photography where no one wants to go to bed.

Well sunrise came upon us and another wet morning but spirits were high as we laughed about everything imaginable and as the workshop concluded I have to say I was really sad to see it come to an end. Everyone was so passionate and enthusiastic from the very start and was a really inspiration to me. So thank you everyone for the good times and I can not wait to see the rest of everyone’s images. I also want to give a special thank you to my partner Adrian Klein for putting all of this together in such a organized fashion. He was able to make things run smooth, got us places on time, and was there to support me in every way. Thanks Adrian !

Advertisement

~ by kevinmcneal on July 28, 2009.