Wave Power

I spent an entire 9-5 at Cape Kiwanda yesterday, my first ever visit to the much-photographed location on Oregon's North Coast. I was really amazed at the sandstone formations reaching out into the pacific headlands. Most of Oregon's coast is Basalt, very dark volcanic rock. Here, the less durable sandstone was rapidly giving way and created what I counted to be at least 6 arches, tunnels or windows, and caves too numberous to mention. I also found that with a little hiking and scrambling, it was easy to find new perspectives on the cape.
This image was made behind the cape's largest tunnel - some 150 feet long and 40 feet high, it streches through a 250 foot high sandstone outcropping. I was a bit unnerved standing at the tunnel's exit, watching 20-foot high waves thunder down the passage and roar into the tiny alclove in which I was photographing them. It was an amazing showing of power and the elements that shaped this place, and I had no where to run, backed up against towering sandstone walls on all sides. Fortunately, I had enough room to work the area with my 70-200. I used a polarizer and ISO 200 due to the ever-present mist from pounding waves and captured this image at 1/3 sec, 70mm. The B&W conversion was necessary due to the 5D's inability to accurately control the blue's present in misty areas. The image alone can't give you the sensation of actually being there, but hopefully you enjoy it anyway. Thanks for comments.

Yes, this is a very hard image to understand without explanation. I stared at it a while until finally realizing it was a tunnel after I read your explanation. There is also no sense of scale here, but there's not much you could do about that, I don't see any trees or crazy people in a canoe near by! With a extremely slow shutter, it might make an interesting abstract, I thought it was a rock/wave close up abstract at first anyway.

So.....the rest of you guys not really into this one? Confusing?

Marc,
This is way cool. You chose the perfect exposure to make the water interesting. I have to agree it is a little confusing but that's what helps make it. I've been at the Cape before and you really have to watch out for those sneaker waves. Though I do like it in B&W, I'm curious what the color version looks like.

A bit too large of a midtone feel to this one. I'm not feeling it a whole lot.

Man, I must say I'm pretty disappointed to not have been able to capture this better. I am glad some of you liked it. This was one of the most powerful and moving sights I've seen in nature. A wide angle would have captured the depth better and less mist would have resulted in less midtones, but that would have been certain death. It's clear to me that it's a tunnel, but only because I was there. That's why I post things here for you guys. There are so many amazing sights in this world and so many that really lend themselves to photographs. I've often said that some of the most beautiful things are not photogenic. That was probably the case here, but it's really disappointing to not be able to capture it better still.

I do love how those cliffs and tunnels rumble with each smashing wave at high tide. Cape Kiwanda has been my favorite place at the coast for a while.

Marc, I've been viewing and admiring your images for awhile now but I don't comment that much.
To me, this is one of your more powerful images. There's a real sense of danger here, as if you were in a canyon in the southwest when a flash flood hits. It almost looks created by Hollywood. (add a few horses in the surf and this could have been called up by Arwen in The Lord of the Rings). The B&W treatment adds to the mystery. I like this a lot.

I think it's a nice capture and I like it a lot. It screams "power". It looked to me like a cave at first glance. Great exposure for the wave movement. Perhaps it's just my screen, but I would lke to see what it would look like with the mid-tone contrast bumped up a bit.

Jerry

Jerry, I agree, but midtone contrast can't be bumped up further. I care about how these print big and noise is a problem. I've already taken it up significantly to counteract the heavy mist in the area. I think a lot of times photographers posting here or elsewhere will do what it takes to make an image look great online (not mentioning anyone in particular), but there is certainly a huge difference between what's visible online and what's visible on a 24x36. I want people to see my images online and not be disappointed when a lot of noise removal has been done or a print dosen't look like the image posted online. I want clean images, at 100%, without exception. I could probably contrast the heck out of this thing but couldn't match it on print.

Understand totally! It's still a nice image.

Jerry

Can you say in your face action! Marc I like this image as it conveys abstract power to me.

What wet gear do you use to protect camera from the water?

Very cool. The fact that this takes some involvement from the viewer to "figure it out" adds to the photo. Personally, I like this side of your photography better than the more postcardy stuff.

I like it, but it doesn't jump out and scream for attention. It seems off balance witht the left side demaning more attention than the right. It is a keeper though.

I'm not feeling it with this one, Marc.

Seems to be an unusually strong like/dislike sentiment going on with this one. Thanks for all the varied opinions, guys. To take a Darwin quote: the best images have almost universal appeal. This one isn't one of the best, that much is clear. I usually try to post the weird ones over here anyway

Marc,
The image as pesented would probably have more impact in color. You indicated that the sandstone made for a different view for the Oregon Coast. Showing it in B&W tends to distort the vision you had when making the image. Not all subjects lend themselves to B&W. Good B&W is a medium that usually is reserved for tones, shapes and textures. It pains me recently that many view B&W as a treatment. It is not. It is a methodical collaboration of presenting the subject as tones, shapes and textures. I know you didn't convert just because the color image was lackluster. Most feel that if the image fails in color, it will be saved in B&W conversion. It is probably farthest from the truth. There usually is no thought about the elements of a good B&W image.

I still use the addage "garbage in, garbage out."

On another note to your B&W coversions of the impressive mountains with the blowing snow images you recently posted. I think you did a wonderful conversion. The reasons of why you converted showed a forethought to present the image in the best light to convey your feelings of power.

Marc, you've got several great things going on with this shot. There's the wave action, the sweeping arch of the tunnel and the sun highlights on the water, and rocks at the back of the tunnel. The challenge with the shot is that on first glance there is an optical illusion which almost causes the tunnel to flip inside out mostly due to the bright highlights at the top which want to come to the foreground.

After looking at it for a moment it's clear that it's a tunnel but a quick glance can still trick you. I think there are two thing that would improve this. First, a bit more room to either side completing the arch would help. Second, burn down the highlights in the upper wall of the tunnel.

Jim, I agree but note that above I said the color version was ruined. All the misty areas had a horrible blue cast that I cannot remove. A combination of glare, ghosting, salty/misty air sticking the the lens, etc. is probably to blame. Otherwise I'd love to post a color version.