Bandon, Oregon

Driving up the Oregon Coast I found myself falling in love with this state. First you come to Brookings, a small town with Harris Beach a very popular stop and Boardman State Park. The park extends north of town and has several viewing sites along the highway. All very beautiful, but continue on to Bandon. Oh Bandon! What a paradise for site seers and photographers.

The beaches at Bandon, as with most of the beaches in Oregon have a very gradual incline so that when a wave comes in it breaks and the glides and glides toward the high water mark. What this accomplishes for the photographer is a wonderfully reflective surface. Put something interesting to reflect, add some color in the sky and you have Bandon.

In addition to the reflective qualities, the fact the beaches incline is gradual means you can stand out in the surf without being inundated by the waves. This is not true at all of the beaches in Oregon, and not even at Bandon when the surf is rough, but when it is calm, it is paradise.

As my destination was Manzanita in the northwest quadrant of the state, I only had one night in Bandon. It was a mostly cloudless evening with a waxing gibbous moon scheduled that night and some clouds on the south and southeastern horizons.

This first image is looking south.  

I was hoping to include the moon in this shot but I would have had to be waist high in the surf to get the right angle.  Needless to say. . . .

When there are few or no clouds around you can still get some very interesting colors as the sun is near the horizon, both above and below.  This evening there was a golden glow just before the sun settled down below the horizon.

Later in my trip I shot many images after the sun had set.  The colors that develop are surprisingly beautiful.  I was also surprised that almost all of the people who had been out enjoying the scenery  had left the area before these special scenes showed up.  You will see what I mean a few weeks from now when I get to Indian Beach.