Time Forgotten

This photo was taken at a difficult to reach beach near Cape Blanco on the Oregon coast. It required a sketchy climb down some cliffs with only a narrow exposed ramp allowing access. This is one of those locations that without a pretty low tide the entire area is submerged. The rock formations and rugged coast line were really striking, so it was fun to just be there.

Arriving within a half hour of sunset we (Chip P, Zack S, and David C) only had a short time to explore and look for compositions. We rushed to set up whatever images we could as the sunset came. Then we had to climb up the cliffs in the fading light and make the two mile hike through the dense forest in the dark to get back to the car...a pretty standard photo outing for many of the folks who frequent this forum actually.

The light during the moment I made this image was particularly compelling but I didn't have much time to make the most of it. I attempted to use the small pool, wet sea weed and rocks to reflect as much of the light into the scene as possible. I'm not sure that the composition is strong enough to adequately anchor the extreme light and color. I'm also not sure if the hazy, low saturation atmosphere toward the horizon adds or detracts. With some more time at this location to experiment with perspectives I think some really amazing images are possible.

Canon 5D MKII, 16-35mm f/2.8 L lens, no filters, two exposures blended for tonal balance between sky and landscape.