Posted by Jerry Gowins on September 19, 2009 at 2:57 PM
I'm finally going to get a couple days to photograph by myself Oct 1-3rd. If you could only choose one small area to really work, where would it be?
Thanks!
Jerry
Posted by Mark Windom on September 19, 2009 at 5:22 PM
My choice, Bandon.
Posted by Bret Edge on September 19, 2009 at 10:33 PM
I'm no expert on the Oregon coast but my wife and I fell so in love with Cape Kiwanda (Pacific City) we damn near bought a condo there this summer.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on September 20, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Jerry, this video may help, it was shot on a 5D Mark II by a fella who lives near the Coast, and most of the footage isn't far from Pacific City so you can kind of get a preview of what to expect. There are a few clips from Washington in this vid, but for the most part you'll see the Coast near Cannon Beach and points south. Enjoy! We sure miss it.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on September 20, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Hi Jerry.
Although there are so many to choose from - I would say my 2 top ones would be Newport and Bandon/Port Orford; if I had to choose one - it would be:
NEWPORT - because of the variety of opportunites within a fairly short driving distance:
Yaquina Head Natural Area (tidepools, etc), Depoe Bay, old town down on waterfront in Newport, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Devils Punchbowl, Otter Rock trail and beach, and of course, south of Newport is another favorite - YACHATS - especially the blowhole with town of Yachats behind (seen from Ocean Road State Natural Site), historic Yachats 804 Trail, the outstanding Cape Perpetua Natural Area, and so much more!!
Have a great time at the coast - maybe if fire season ever ends, I will get to take a trip somewhere, too! LOL!
..Marcy Ugstad
Redmond, Oregon
Posted by Ned Fenimore on September 20, 2009 at 1:09 PM
Choosing the single best spot on the Oregon Coast would be like asking "Octo-Mom" to pick her favorite child!
I'm heavily biased, but I'd pick the stretch of coast between Cape Arago (Coos Bay) to Port Orford, with Bandon landing right in the middle of it all. No matter what the weather deals out, you'll have a variety of ways to take advantage.
If you get huge, stormy (highly possible) surf, head to Cape Arago/Shore Acres State Park, and enjoy 100ft breakers battering the sandstone bluffs.
Bluebird skies? The Charleston and Bandon harbors look great on calm, clear days. Photographing the harbors is also a good way to "kill time" during the mid-day light. Reflections and colors really pop here under blue skies. In Charleston, there is a family of resident Harbor Seals that hang out by the fishermen's wharf. They are darn near as tame as dogs, and will love you unconditionally if you happen to drop some fish scraps that the local fishermen might give you. They'll hop right up on the docks and practically sit, stay, and roll over.
Super low tide? There are tide-pools abound. Bandon is great for sea stars on the rocks. The South Cove of Cape Arago holds some great tide-pools as well, with a larger variety of odd sea-critters and plant life.
Port Orford is a fantastic sunrise location. Here, the coast hooks inland, making the beach run somewhat East/West, as opposed to North and South like the majority of the Coast. This allows you to look down the length of the beach and into the rising sun at the same time. There are also some great sea-stacks here. I call it "mini-Bandon". Its very accessible, yet uncrowded. The Cape Blanco Lighthouse is just up the road to the North. It looks nice in the mornings too, but hold onto your hat. It gets freakishly windy here.
And then there's Bandon- the Jack-Of-All-Trades. About the only time that Bandon looks bad is under harsh light on calm days. If you think there might be any chance of a decent sunset, get your butt down to Face Rock beach and enjoy the show. Low-ish to mid tide levels are the best. This puts the breaking surf right in and around the numerous stacks here. The possibilities are endless. Bandon is also a perfect sunrise location. As the sun rises, the tips of the offshore rocks catch the first light creating an alpenglow effect that looks awesome.
I could go on forever, but hopefully thats plenty of info to get your gears turning. October is a great month for Coastal photography. Mild weather, and better than average chances of getting some dynamite sunsets and sunrises. Best of luck, no matter where you end up going.
Posted by Greg Vaughn on September 22, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Another vote for Bandon. Just follow Aaron's advice and you'll have plenty to work with in just about any weather and time of day.
Posted by Darren White on September 25, 2009 at 8:51 PM
I just got home from 4 days on the southern oregon coast...not my first time and will not be my last......Bandon is great, Port Orford Heads is killer at low tide....the extremely low tides are done for the year....Cape Perpetua is always a winner....
I guess if I were you I would just pray pray pray for some decent clouds in the sky......the last 4 days I had nothing but dense fog and crystal clear blue skies...except for one 15 min period on wednesday night in Bandon where the clouds broke up just enough at sunset to give it some nice color.....
I am going to coin a new phrase.... PTW....Perfect Tourist Weather...... I hate crystal clear blue skies.....but the tourists love it..... and lets not forget that Brookings has some amazing sea stacks too and that it is also the Banana belt of the Oregon Coast......
Good luck!!!!
oh, one other thing....The Freddies in Brookings has by far the best micro brew selection I have seen in a long time.....not sure if that is a factor or not but I thought I would toss it out!!!!
Posted by Austin Booth on September 30, 2009 at 8:28 PM
I like Cape Kiwanda because of its unique sandstone features. However, I've only lived in Portland a little over a year now and haven't had the opportunity to check out Cannon Beach or Bandon which are both supposed to be spectacular.
Discussion
10 repliesThanks!
Jerry
Although there are so many to choose from - I would say my 2 top ones would be Newport and Bandon/Port Orford; if I had to choose one - it would be:
NEWPORT - because of the variety of opportunites within a fairly short driving distance:
Yaquina Head Natural Area (tidepools, etc), Depoe Bay, old town down on waterfront in Newport, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Devils Punchbowl, Otter Rock trail and beach, and of course, south of Newport is another favorite - YACHATS - especially the blowhole with town of Yachats behind (seen from Ocean Road State Natural Site), historic Yachats 804 Trail, the outstanding Cape Perpetua Natural Area, and so much more!!
Have a great time at the coast - maybe if fire season ever ends, I will get to take a trip somewhere, too! LOL!
..Marcy Ugstad
Redmond, Oregon
I'm heavily biased, but I'd pick the stretch of coast between Cape Arago (Coos Bay) to Port Orford, with Bandon landing right in the middle of it all. No matter what the weather deals out, you'll have a variety of ways to take advantage.
If you get huge, stormy (highly possible) surf, head to Cape Arago/Shore Acres State Park, and enjoy 100ft breakers battering the sandstone bluffs.
Bluebird skies? The Charleston and Bandon harbors look great on calm, clear days. Photographing the harbors is also a good way to "kill time" during the mid-day light. Reflections and colors really pop here under blue skies. In Charleston, there is a family of resident Harbor Seals that hang out by the fishermen's wharf. They are darn near as tame as dogs, and will love you unconditionally if you happen to drop some fish scraps that the local fishermen might give you. They'll hop right up on the docks and practically sit, stay, and roll over.
Super low tide? There are tide-pools abound. Bandon is great for sea stars on the rocks. The South Cove of Cape Arago holds some great tide-pools as well, with a larger variety of odd sea-critters and plant life.
Port Orford is a fantastic sunrise location. Here, the coast hooks inland, making the beach run somewhat East/West, as opposed to North and South like the majority of the Coast. This allows you to look down the length of the beach and into the rising sun at the same time. There are also some great sea-stacks here. I call it "mini-Bandon". Its very accessible, yet uncrowded. The Cape Blanco Lighthouse is just up the road to the North. It looks nice in the mornings too, but hold onto your hat. It gets freakishly windy here.
And then there's Bandon- the Jack-Of-All-Trades. About the only time that Bandon looks bad is under harsh light on calm days. If you think there might be any chance of a decent sunset, get your butt down to Face Rock beach and enjoy the show. Low-ish to mid tide levels are the best. This puts the breaking surf right in and around the numerous stacks here. The possibilities are endless. Bandon is also a perfect sunrise location. As the sun rises, the tips of the offshore rocks catch the first light creating an alpenglow effect that looks awesome.
I could go on forever, but hopefully thats plenty of info to get your gears turning. October is a great month for Coastal photography. Mild weather, and better than average chances of getting some dynamite sunsets and sunrises. Best of luck, no matter where you end up going.
I guess if I were you I would just pray pray pray for some decent clouds in the sky......the last 4 days I had nothing but dense fog and crystal clear blue skies...except for one 15 min period on wednesday night in Bandon where the clouds broke up just enough at sunset to give it some nice color.....
I am going to coin a new phrase.... PTW....Perfect Tourist Weather...... I hate crystal clear blue skies.....but the tourists love it..... and lets not forget that Brookings has some amazing sea stacks too and that it is also the Banana belt of the Oregon Coast......
Good luck!!!!
oh, one other thing....The Freddies in Brookings has by far the best micro brew selection I have seen in a long time.....not sure if that is a factor or not but I thought I would toss it out!!!!