This photo was a precursor really. I was trying to find this particular location on Cannon Beach that I ended up having to run to (anything for a shot right). This silhouette of the shoreline came out pretty nice as well from Ecola State Park.
On my last trip to Washington, I visit the small town of Astoria, Oregon. You might not know it at first, but it’s streets and buildings will forever be in your mind if you grew up in the 80’s. Astoria, OR is one of the main locations where the film Goonies was made. Overlooking the town is a sight called the Astoria Column. It’s a slightly odd sight on a fantastic location overlooking the gorgeous Pacific North West. It is also the source of a lot of local pride. The folks at the monument were also very knowledgable and super helpful in relaying the history of the town. If you find yourself in the area, absolutely make a trip!
I sat in a car, riding through the fog. I would have preferred to fly…I always prefer to fly, but my colleague insisted. It was a long trek, but in the end I got to see part of the country I had never knew existed. The diverse landscape of Washington and Oregon is vast, it changes abruptly and in surprising ways. This stretch along the Columbia River was enshrouded in dense wisps of fog…not completely obstructing your view, only adding mystery.
Fog
By Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
I visited Washington and Oregon on a work trip for my day job. When I realized that Malthomah Falls was close by I was so excited I couldn’t hardly contain myself. I kept dropping hints to my co-worker Drew that we HAD to stop at some point (we drove by several times). Luckily we had time on one of the return trips and despite a pretty steady rain, I somehow convinced everyone to stop. The wind was very strong that day and was causing a huge amount of spray from the falls. I ended up cleaning my lens every shot to try to get something without smears. In the end, especially given the weather, I think I found something interesting.
This was the photo I was looking for when we ended up at Ecola State Park. When we arrived at Ecola and stood on the lookout point, I realized right away we had arrived in the wrong location for the photo I wanted. This happens quite a bit. A helpful local tells you about their favorite vantage point away from all the crazy photographers on the beach, not understanding you are, in fact one of the crazy ones.
We were lucky to make it to Cannon Beach just before the sun went down. You might recognize Haystack Rock (on the right) and The Needles (on the left) from the 1980’s film The Goonies. When the circumstances of life throw up a roadblock to what you want, it’s easy to give up…to settle. The much harder thing is to plunge in and risk everything. Sometimes the reward makes the gamble worth the risk.
I sometimes struggle with what to say about a photo. How do you capture your feelings as succinctly as the camera captures that decisive moment? What can I say about a beautiful scene that really brings home what it was like to stand in that spot. Maybe I share how I got there, or the smell of the ocean and a million trees. Maybe I just let you take it in and create your own story, sometimes the camera does a better job than I ever could.
