Storm at Shore Acres

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted February 5, 20173,829 views5 comments

This image was taken at Shore Acres State Park located southwest of Coos Bay,Oregon last Thanksgiving afternoon. During the winter storm season, this location is known for its cliff-side views of spectacular storm waves that crash against the rugged sandstone cliffs. It had rained off and on for most of the afternoon and although I was excited to be there and witness the breaking waves, I was struggling to get any images that I was happy with. I would love to have your comments on what I could have done differently to take or process this image.

Follow up story: we were camped at Sunset Bay State Park, which is several miles from Shore Acres, and had planned on exploring the area over several days. Unfortunately, we were forced to evacuate our campsite the next day when runoff from the surrounding hills flooded the campground and particularly our low-lying campsite. We knew it was going to be a bad day when we woke up to water covering the second step to our travel trailer. Eventually, the water rose to about 26" before we were able to pull the travel trailer to safety, relocating it further on down the coast. It was an exciting day!

5 D Mark III
24-105
f 7.1
iso 800
1/500
tripod

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Skip Layman on February 5, 2017 at 1:21 PM

This shot says "Storm" loud and clear. The dark clouds, the subdued lighting, the crashing waves all make this very effective for me. I'd be proud of this one. devil

Registered on November 1, 2003, 558 Posts, 1704 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on February 5, 2017 at 6:33 PM

Yes, a little too exciting for me! This is a great, dramatic photo of the winter surf and I think you caught a perfect moment. The dark sky tells us about the storm, as well as this huge wave. The only improvement would be too risky---a person on the cliff to give it some scale. Sounds like the camping was risky enough!

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 5, 2017 at 9:10 PM

Yes, we sure have big storms here in Oregon! The coast is a weather-watcher's dream.
We remember the Thanksgiving storm well....
Excellent capture - the explosive wave action on the rocks is terrific. Your timing was perfect - but you probably shoot a burst most times, as I do. That increases the chance to get a great image like this.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Sandor on February 8, 2017 at 7:57 AM

Paula: what a powerful capture of the ocean's fury at the peak moment. Well done! Richard

Registered on January 12, 2014, 453 Posts, 1625 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on February 11, 2017 at 10:05 AM

Paula: One of my favorite places on the planet. I caught some waves like this on our visit in 2015 so this brings back some really good memories. I like the foreboding sky and that you were able to tease some detail out of the cloud cover. An adventure you're likely to never forget. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments