The Oregon coast is made up mostly of a rugged coastline where the Ocean meets the rugged contours of the Pacific Northwest. This juxtaposition of where land meets water is a photographer’s paradise. Scattered throughout the coastline are these mounds of rock jutting out of the tidal zone called sea stacks. They are important habitat for sea birds such as puffins. For the most part the beaches consist of fine white sand that seems to find its way into everything you own. The winds were quite fierce while I was there, which is apparently a common thing to locals. This made for some interesting navigation on foot. You would literally be sandblasted any time you ventured out of the forest and into the dry sandy areas.
This was a fun but challenging photo shoot. The challenge was how cold it was that night, coupled with recovering from elbow surgery. The lantern also had to be turned down to a faint little flame that would easily blow out. I had to turn it down in order to achieve a balanced exposure of the scene. I also had to hold the lantern extremely still in this position for 30 seconds without flinching. This is the end result. It may not be the best quality of photo, but it was the best I could achieve. The glow of Strathmore is the light in the background.
In Alberta, when the mercury plummets in the winter months ice crystals that fill the air cling to every square inch of the landscape commonly known as hoar frost. This hoar frost often builds up to an inch thick and will cover trees from top to bottom and virtually everything else exposed to the elements right down to the wires on a barbwire fence. During these conditions, the landscape becomes a winter wonderland.
