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I drove to the coast of Oregon without an itinerary, and although there were a few places I really wanted go visit, I wanted the freedom to explore. Besides, I wasn’t in a hurry, until…. read on. I drove to the ocean from Salem on all the back roads. I took my time and even took a side trip up a (creepy!) one lane mountainside road to check out a water fall but the it was running much too fast for my photographic liking. By the time I arrived at the coastline, it was pouring, and hard! It was also very windy; which makes driving the RV so much fun…. not! That said, I felt the day was done and I was done too, lol! The next morning I drove south, in and out of all the state dune parks along the 101. I was looking for one that had some photographic advantages, when I finally chose one with a jetty; it was from here that I captured this photograph. In the distance, the ocean sky was dark and threatening; I could see the rain coming (again!). Although it was overcast, I was very bright. It perfect for capturing the cresting white waves, I was thrilled! When it was time to look for somewhere to stay for the night, I stopped at the North Lake RV resort in Lakeside, only to discover they were closed for the season. The lovely owner Karen however was there, and when I explained I simply needed a place to park, she graciously welcomed my stay. Later in that evening Karen called me to say, “There’s a huge rain and wind storm coming, starting at 10 a.m., with winds up to 80 miles an hour; we’ll likely lose some trees”. She suggested that I leave the coastline by morning, while I could. Needless to say, I left before 8 a.m. and as I did, it was pouring buckets… again! With only two noteworthy images in hand (one to follow) I was disappointed… but at least I got two! :-) Happiness is in the accumulation of micro moments… and my “micro” visit to the Oregon coast was indeed memorable!
“Rise from the mud and bloom out of the darkness” …unknown author. I had taken some photos of lily pads before and then I realized afterwards that I really hadn’t paid enough attention to the varied colors. So, when I stumbled across these lily pads I took a moment to study the colors, and not just the lily pads but the reflective blue sky and the shadowed darkness as well. Then I considered the patterns, and asked myself, where does my eye enter the scene and where do my eyes want to settle? This is called flow, which is a very important artistic element in this particular photograph because without it, your eyes would endlessly wander. That said, notice how your eyes enters this photo from the bottom left, and then flows and settles on the lilies at the top right.
Superstition Mountain is located east of Phoenix and Apache Junction. It was once volcanic but now this sleeping giant is a popular recreational area for bikers, ATV'rs, and horseback riders too. It's rugged and sheer sided peaks are well over 5000 feet and can be seen for miles. I camped at the Lost Dutchman State Park, which is conveniently located behind from where I took this photo. I left my campsite early; giving myself plenty time to find the perfect composition. It wasn't easy to get here; I climbed over boulders, around bushes and dodge the prickly cacti too (ouch!) and it seemed to never end (lol). As the mountain grew larger, I stopped to take a series of focus stacked shots until I eventually parked myself here. I stayed until it was dark and watched as the light changed, and took photos as it did. There is a trail at the bottom of the mountain that runs from left to right, and then into the shaded canyon on the right. Those that are agile climb to the top of the mountain on the far right. I did hiked into the canyon a few years back but I wasn't prepared to go that far on a hot day. Arizona is known for it's amazing sunsets which casts some amazing colors on the desert floor (just like this photo). I headed back after I got some blue hour shots but boy, was it dark and walking back in darkness wasn't fun! Oh well, I made a new memory and I chuckle at the new (more) scratches on my legs (which seems to go hand in hand to get the shots I want, lol).
