Love on the beach

You never know where you'll find a heart . . . And I'm sure we'll be seeing this one again since I brought it home with me. ©Carol Leigh

More "stupid" bird photos

I'm having fun processing these bird photos. As I mentioned in a previous post, I inadvertently underexposed them by 2/3 stop. They were also in very blue, shady lighting. Here's how I created this effect: I imported the file into Adobe Camera Raw. I slid the "clarity" slider all the way to the left and the "exposure" slider all the way to the right. Brought them into Photoshop and that's it. Cloned a few errant rocks out of the way is all. Great photography? Nah. Fun? Yes! ©Carol Leigh

Stupid is as stupid does . . .

It was quite the morning for stupidity. I mis-read the tide table, not only the high/low tide part, but also the date! So when I headed out for a quick walk on the beach this morning, I figured the tide was going out. Wrong. It was almost at its height! I managed to stay dry and cut my walk short. At least I wasn't out there during the tsunami! 

And then I inadvertently set my exposure compensation to underexpose by 2/3 of a stop. I was shooting in bluish shady light to begin with, so my photographs turned out not only blue, but dark blue. Well, good excuse to experiment in Photoshop, right?

I purposely blurred out this photo and overexposed it by 4 stops before doing anything else. And even though this photo was originally of maybe 10 birds, I clipped out just a corner of the photo and blew it up big. Now I've got two big, overexposed, blurred birds. And I like it! And it's given me some other ideas, other things to try with a variety of subjects. We shall see . . . And now, back to work. ©Carol Leigh

A good morning on the beach

I've been really sick. And I'm sick of being sick. So today I pretended I was well and went to the beach to photograph. I think it worked. I faked myself out and am now ready to roll.

The bluffs that I photograph are incredibly colorful. Even more so when they're in the shade, which is when I do most of my shooting there. My "technique" is to walk along the shade of the bluffs on the first half of my walk and then move out into the sun on my way back to see what else I can find. That is, if it's a sunny day. But look at what I see in the shade! Look at the blue and orange colors. Is this not cool, or what? And wait until you see what I've done with all these various rock photos I've taken. It's astounding, if I do say so myself. And I do.

I found a feather -- a very good-looking one -- and photographed it on a rock, then stuck it in my hat to take home to shoot again. I checked my shadow on the sand from time to time to make sure it was still there, still sticking up, making me look like some homely, decidedly un-Disney-esque Pocahontas.

As I was about to leave the beach, I took a moment to photograph some of the what I call "agateers," folks out in droves slowly walking the beach, agate scoopers in hand, hunched over, bent over, eyes glued to the sand, looking for that glint of shiny translucence that is an agate. This was a good day for them, lots of sand had washed away, leaving a gravel-like surface that's a treasure trove for agate-seekers (of which I used to be one, until one day I wondered what the hell am I going to do with all these agates and have I officially turned into a beach geek? Will a metal detector be the next step for me?).

And so you see here a frizzy-haired woman with a stick, peering intently at the sand, looking like I will probably look when I'm REALLY old (like next month). And do you see the fishing boat just off the coast? It's a beautiful day here today. I'm giddy with the sun. And now back to doing critiques in my current online class . . . ©Carol Leigh

Different day, different beach . . .

This is the last dry day we're going to have for awhile, so I headed south to a different beach. And it was kind of boring, mostly flat sand, a few washed-up logs, broken clam shells, and not much more. I took an overview to show what the scene looked like, and then concentrated on a log that had washed ashore, as well as a shell. Yawn. But it was a good walk, nevertheless. Any time I can be upright, mobile, breathing clean air, and finding SOMEthing photographable is good. Oh, and staying dry, too, is important. Using the 70-200mm "L" lens a lot these days, for those of you who care. ©Carol Leigh

Werewolves of Waldport . . .

Scary face in a piece of driftwood. Ow-ooooooooooo! ©Carol Leigh

Two more from yesterday's walk . . .

See what I love about these beaches? The rock colors are amazing, especially on these overcast days.

75 minutes on the beach

Tides and weather combined nicely this morning to be out wandering around on the beach. Other than having to slog through a little creek in non-waterproof shoes, it was a great walk. Very foggy, very monochromatic, very mysterious. Visibility was about maybe a quarter mile.

I shot a lot of rocks (as is my wont), but also tried to take overviews. Since I tend to not notice the big picture, one of my resolutions is to broaden my vision, and so a few landscapes sneak in lately. I found some turnstones (I think that's what they were) and love how the wings flare out in this one shot. And the crow on the rock? Love it! I'm sure he's going to show up in some montages soon.

Beautiful morning. Life is good. ©Carol Leigh

The last of yesterday's shots

As I ended my walk yesterday, the sun was getting lower, making the bluffs to the east look golden brown. They reflect in the wet sand left by the receding tide. Usually I'm walking just below those bluffs, looking for rock patterns, but this day I was way out, following the tide.

The second shot shows how the beach looks down to the south, down to the big formations known as Seal Rock. The top of the photo is where I begin my walk. Love how the clouds reflect in the wet sand.

We rarely get cloud formations such as this at sunset. Usually the sun sinks into an offshore marine layer, things turn grey, and it's over. This afternoon there was a bit of drama before things turned grey.

And finally, just because I could, I took the second photo, copied it, flipped it, and then turned it into an orb. I liked the surprise of the infinity symbol turning up. World without end. Amen. ©Carol Leigh

Minus tide

A big minus tide this afternoon and NO RAIN! Hoo ha! Scurried over to the beach to see what I could find.

I liked the clear, clean look of this footprint in the sand, and included part of a little "creeklet" of water at the bottom for a bit of interest. There are bowling ball-like rocks that show up at very low tides and the golden sunlight caught my eye. Metering is a challenge with such directional light and I find myself talking to myself, saying "meter here" (lock in the exposure), "focus here" (wherever that happens to be), "recompose, click." So repeat after me, "Meter here. Focus here. Recompose. Click." And in the third shot you can see the beach as I saw it on my way back to the car.

A good little walk. A bit of exercise. Away from the computer. And photos that I'm pleased with. Yowza! ©Carol Leigh

Outgoing tide

I spent about an hour this afternoon walking on my "secret" beach, managing to time my departure just before the rains began. Most of what I shot were rock abstracts taken along the bluffs, but I also liked this orange rock sitting on blue-black sand, with grasses swirling around it. The outgoing tide swept the grasses in one general direction and created gentle, photogenic curves. ©Carol Leigh

Reindeer rock . . .

Kinda funny . . . ©Carol Leigh

Harsh sun + wet rocks = major challenge

When walking the beaches here we need to be aware of what the tides are doing. Pay no attention and you may end up trapped, wet, and cold against the bluffs. Alas, low tides don't always occur when the light is right, and yesterday was a perfect example. Low tide was at 1 p.m. We were there around noon. And it was a glaringly bright, sunny day. Ick.

In addition, the rock faces are quite wet, as recent rains come seeping out from the soil above, dripping down the sides of the cliffs. Bright sun. Wet rocks. The challenge is huge.

What was really exciting is that this is a new beach for me, with different types of rock formations, striations, permutations -- all of which create hyperventilations!

Here are a few shots that came out fairly well. Can't wait for the next overcast day at low tide when I can take some better photos. I am working on a montage concept involving these rock pictures which I'll present sometime next year. I've created 44 so far, but don't really know what I'm doing yet -- not that I ever do . . . ©Carol Leigh

Final shot

As the light began to fade, I put the camera on a tripod and created this shot, a 2-second exposure at f/32 to soften the entire scene and to create a feeling of time and movement. Love the green glow in the wave -- a hint of color in an otherwise monochromatic image. ©Carol Leigh

Beach walk . . .

Clear and cold today, so I thought I'd head for the beach to see if there was any ice about. Not more than 100 yards after I'd turned onto the Coast Highway I passed an accident that had just occurred. Major ice on the roads. Hmmm... Undeterred I continued on, cautiously. When I approached "my" beach, no one behind me, I began my left turn. Nope. Car began fishtailing about, so I continued straight ahead. Eventually made a U-turn and came back, no problems. Icy roads? Probably lots of ice on the beach, right? Nope. Ah, well. Let's find some other stuff.

Those of you who took my online class that had the "hearts" lesson in it will know how jazzed I was to see this large strand of kelp. Once you've taken and worked on that lesson, the concept sticks, doesn't it?

The other three shots are just simple little images of what I was seeing -- barnacles on rocks, surrounded by water left by the receding tide, rimmed with foam, or filled with bubbles.

Just five people on the beach during the 1.5 hours I was there. Saw two ravens (love those birds), a skein of pelicans headed south, lots of feathers, lots of agates, and a green rock with white dots on it that I'm planning on photographing some rainy day.

Peace and quiet. And no ice on the road going back home. Tracy brought over some of her excellent fruitcake. Life is good. ©Carol Leigh

Beach Bum

While some people are finding faces in rocks, fishtails in ice, and whales in the sky, leave it to me to find a butt on the beach. And not a very good-looking butt at that! Maybe he's a plumber . . . ©Carol Leigh

A predilection for ice . . .

It's warmer today and the ice was quite different from yesterday. And even during the short time I was out there, things changed dramatically. The fanciful "plover" and fishtail I photographed on my walk up the beach were both gone on my walk back.

The first shot is a semi-close-up of the "glacier" coming down the rock face. In the second photo icicles drip from parts of the bluffs. In the third shot you can see the way the icicles have dripped all the way down, forming a cavern-like set of stalactites/stalagmites. And then finally a look at the ice dripping down the rocks and meeting the sand.

I was photographing in very heavy shade, which creates a bluish cast. I shot RAW and adjusted the color somewhat in Photoshop to warm it up a bit. The rocks here are very cool in that they have a natural blue color to them as well as a warm orange. It's a beautiful combination. Wait until you see the photomontages I've created with these Oregon coastal rock formations — I think they're some of my best work so far (well, except for all the pear photomontages, which are my favorites). I'm not ready yet to show them, but probably will do so soon.

It was a good morning. Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy photography? ©Carol Leigh

The art of seeing - 091209

As the ice was melting on this hillside, the delicate pattern of semi-clear ice caught my eye. Here's what I saw and here's what I made. ©Carol Leigh

Fanciful forms found in the sand

So whaddaya think, Bruce K.? A plover? Ha! As soon as I saw this rock in a patch of ice, I thought of you. Farther on down the beach, another ice patch had melted into (appropriately enough) something resembling the remains of a fish. Or a mermaid. It was an interesting morning of photography. More to come later on today. ©Carol Leigh

My plan was to go to the grocery store . . .

We've been frozen here on the coast for I'm thinking a week, with temps ranging from 21 to 32 degrees day after day. Figuring that chili sounds good for dinner, I head to the grocery store. But instead of making a left, the car for some reason heads right and I end up at the Seal Rock overlook watching the waves roar in. No wind. No clouds. Lots of bright sunshine. But COLD!

I climb to the top of a little hill and oh my gosh the bluffs above the high tide line, where fresh water seeps out, are all frozen! I zoom back down to the car and drive to my favorite beach to see what I can find to shoot.

My only lens with me is a 28-135mm, which is fine. I walk up the beach with confidence until I realize that ice is slippery. Who knew? Photography now becomes a challenge as I attempt to stay upright. To make things even more interesting, the tide is heading in. Not wishing to end up like some old Eskimo floating out to sea on an ice floe to die, I work for about half an hour and then leave the beach.

Now I know that an icy beach, for those of you who live in colder climes, is probably nothing. Been there, done that. But for this easily impressed lass, IT WAS FREAKIN' COOL! Here are some of the abstract images I took.

It's supposed to continue being freezing for the rest of the week, so I may try this again, perhaps taking along a wider lens and maybe a macro. The challenge is the lighting — bright sun glinting off white ice next to dark rocks and sand. And then there are shadows. And then there's trying to remain upright. But who cares? This is fun stuff!

Hot chili tonight. Life is good. ©Carol Leigh