I really like this photo. Ok well guess that was obvious as I have posted it. But really I like this one, mainly because of the thought process that went into finding it. First I guess I should explain what it is. This is a shot of a small stretch of beach somewhere along the Oregon coast, looking straight down between my feet, just after a wave had washed in, turning some of the sand dark with moisture and leaving some light and dry. I really loved the patterns it was leaving and the play between dark and light. I had my Pentax 67 loaded with 25 ASA Rollei Ortho film that day, and managed to pull off a handheld exposure. The ortho film really helped boost the contrast of what was very flat lighting.

Anyway, this shot just represents so much of what I like about photography, and I talked a bit about this in my last post. The ability to be on a flat beach under a gray overcast sky, in conditions that would discourage many people from taking photos, much less even being out on that beach, to find this and record it. Mainly though it is the ability to find it that so fascinates me. This was easily the most interesting shot I brought home that day, and I had definitely not gone there with the idea of finding it. I was just wandering, keeping my eyes open, and having learned to look down often when strolling the beach, saw this. It is easy, especially at the beach, to get distracted by the big scene and miss the amazing little sideshows going on in the wings.

I had an especially fun time trying to figure out which way to rotate this image and initially had it upside down from this, but finally settled on this orientation because I thought the lighter colored sand looked a wave cresting, and I thought that was appropriate.

Pentax 67 with Rollei Ortho 25 film. Exposure would have been about a 1/30th of a second at f2.8. I was stretching for every bit of light I could get on this one and still keep the image sharp.

Tags:   sand patterns abstract Oregon Pentax 67 Rollie Ortho 25 Orthochromatic duotoned Pacific Ocean beach Pacific Northwest film Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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"I long to do my work," he said. "I want it in my fist. I want to have all the colors of the world boxed in my camera. I want it caught. In a few minutes, the sky will fade to gray, and that's a loss I feel. It's no good telling me the world will be bright tomorrow. I feel the loss now. It slips, I want to hold on."

From Wind on the Waves by Ray Atkeson and Kim Stafford.

A long forgotten sunset on the beach at Cape Kiwanda taken with my Pentax 6x7 and a roll of Fuji Velvia.

Tags:   Cape Kiwanda sunset purple pink Pentax 6x7 Fuji Velvia Oregon Pacific Ocean Pacific Northwest landscape ocean beach Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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Ok, so I know I just posted a photo of this shipwreck but time is short this morning and while working on editing my library of images this one jumped out at me. This really was a spectacular day at the coast, one that was completely overcast in Portland, but amazing weather once I arrived out at Fort Stevens. As Dead Air commented on my previous post, I love to going to the same location again and again, seeing it in new light and trying to find new takes on familiar places. My work with the St Johns Bridge is probably my best example of this. I love getting out and exploring, seeing new locations, but I also love getting to know a particular spot that only multiple visits over the span of time, in all sorts of light and weather can allow you to do. And I think it is how to get some of the best photography. Very few times have I gotten my favorite shot of a place on my first visit there, or the second, or even the third. But then again, it is not even about the pursuit of a perfect shot of one location, but rather a chronicling of that spot, in various conditions at various times, that I find so fascinating.

So here is another take on the Peter Iredale wreckage. Now it is time for me to eat breakfast, read Harry Potter ( I decided to wait until all seven books were out to start the series, I am not on book six) and get ready to shoot my second wedding in as many days. Phew. As much as I would like to be, will miss the beach today, but I think it is definitely going to have to be in the cards for tomorrow.

Tags:   Oregon coast ocean sky clouds shipwreck Pacific Ocean Pacific Northwest Fort Stevens Peter Iredale state parks what a day! Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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Not my footprints, some other beachgoer who left before I arrived. I took this shot at Oceanside which is really another hidden gem of a beach along an Oregon coast known for such things. Specifically this shot was taken on Lost Boys Beach which is connected to Oceanside by a tunnel which burrows through the cliff. Apparently it was built with funds raised by the community after a number of people made it around the cliff at extreme low tides and got stranded on the beach.

The beach itself is wonderfully secluded, with only the occasional passerby and at low tide it is quite long, though be careful as there are plenty of places to become stranded should you not pay attention to your tide tables.

Tags:   Hasselblad 503CX Hasselblad 50mm Pacific Ocean Oregon Pacific Northwest square beach ocean footprints sand beachcombing film Fuji Reala sunset nature outdoors travel ABigFave Palabra Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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A simple Holga shot taken of the Peter Iredale wreckage in Fort Stevens State Park along the northern Oregon coast. I have long found it somewhere between amusing and troubling that something such as a shipwreck can become such a tourist draw and so photogenic. Depending on the light you choose to view it in, this is a giant piece of scrap metal that mars a once unmarked beach. Now I certainly don't think the Peter Iredale should be dismantled, nor do I even think it an eyesore, as I have found many charming shots of it over the years and continue the visit this beach frequently to photograph the shipwreck.

Rather the point I want to make is we, as humans, have an incredible impact on the environment, more often than not in ways we never realize. How many visitors see the shipwreck as a giant piece of man-made trash, which technically speaking, it is? And this is a grand example. I have long been aware that as admirable as it is to get out of the concrete jungle of the city to see a bit of nature, it is arguably worse for said nature, than if we all just stayed home and watched TV. It is a bit of a double edged sword. And photographers are sometimes driven by their desire to capture the beauty of a landscape that they ironically cause more damage than the average tourist.

I noticed this on my recent trip to Mono Lake and noticed the many trails snaking off of the approved main trail, many leading over the delicate tufa mounds. I notice this when I see people climbing over railings and going cross country to get a better vantage for that beautiful shot they have in mind. I don't often notice the amount of gas I burn (and the emissions it produces) just in the act of driving to these many beautiful locations.

Most of this present train of thought was actually started earlier today at the Oregon coast while visiting Cobble Beach inside Yaquina Bay state park. Cobble Beach is a wonderfully unique beach made up of perfectly smooth and round cobble stones that make a neat rumbling noise when the surf washes up. Sadly the uniqueness of this beach makes the cobble stones prime souvenirs despite the many signs declaring the rocks, shells and wildlife off limits to collection. Most people are good about this, but there are always a few each visit I witness collecting a handful of rocks to take home. And that is the point of this little essay. It is not the big things (shipwrecks) that necessarily cause the greatest erosion of our natural areas, but the little things. The collecting of rocks and shells. Cutting off trail (and killing the plant life, thereby adding to erosion) to eliminate a hairpin corner instead of walking the extra five feet around the corner. Littering, a personal pet peeve of mine. And none of us are innocent no matter how careful we are. The gas burned just getting there as I mentioned. Even if you drive an electric emission-free vehicle, or walk, or bike. Your mere presence affects wildlife, the footsteps you take impact the environment and the photos you hopefully take attracts other visitors who may not be so careful.

I do not mean this to be all doom and gloom, nor is it meant to discourage us going out and enjoying the forest, the mountain, the beach, or the desert. I just had a couple of reminders myself today about how careful we all need to be, even when we believe we are being careful. Be gentle. Take only photos, leave only footprints. That sort of thing. And not to be shy about calling out those you see who are not careful, in a polite and respectful manner because positive peer pressure has a strong influence.

Whichever side of the environmental debate you fall on, you cannot deny that we humans have an impact on our environment, and regardless of the degree of that impact we all share the responsibility and the duty of limiting it when we can, to preserve those areas we enjoy so much for those who come after us. To think otherwise, in my opinion, is shortsighted and nothing short of selfish.

I just saw this article on MSN by the way and it offers some interesting information.

Picture title borrowed from a Modest Mouse song.

Tags:   holga Peter Iredale Oregon nature environment Pacific Northwest Pacific Ocean shipwrecks B&W toy cameras 120 surf ocean waves square Fort Stevens State Park palabra flickrdiamond DiamondClassPhotographer Zeb Andrews Zeb Andrews photography Blue Moon Camera

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