Oregon North Coast 2024 - April 28th - May 3rd

Join the excitement with Tony and Keith as they continue their 2024 season on the road at an amazing location.  Experience the difference learning in a small "boutique" workshop that is conducive to all experience levels, novice through professional. The package includes lodging Sunday evening, April 28th through Thursday Evening, May 2nd,  "bird-dogging" shot locations, photographic instruction, and tons of enjoyment. Ground transportation is NOT included however, Tony and Keith can help coordinate participants who wish to share the costs.  

Overview

This will be the first of two workshops for the Oregon Coast. There are over 350 miles of beaches, harbors, rivers, tide pools, and sea stacks between the state of Washington on the north and California on the south. Far too much for one visit; so we will do the Southern half a month later at the end of May 2024.

If you ask anyone who has been to this coast, it will be hard to shut them up! We believe it is the most varied and unique stretch of coast in the country. We use three adjectives to describe it: different, dynamic, and unpredictable.

Different

The coast is punctuated with unique “sea stacks”. These look a lot like mesas moved from the southwest and plunked down in the ocean. There are more of them here than in any other state. They rise up 50-300 feet out of the water and are the home to gulls, murres, oystercatchers, puffins, and more. These sentinels may be in clusters or isolated at low tide to make wonderfully accessible photo subjects.

Dynamic

Everything on the coast is in constant motion. It is like a kaleidoscope because of the variable weather (more about that in a moment); the tide level (up to 10 feet in range); sea state (from dead calm to 15-foot waves); etc. In particular, the tides are amazing. At high water, they crash against the rocks and, during storms, can lift the water over 100 feet in the air. At low tide, tidal pools reveal multi-colored starfish, mollusks, seaweeds, crabs, and little fish. The wet sand will show wave patterns, little drainage rivers, and critter tracks.

Unpredictable

The weather is always in a state of flux here. Fog can come in from the ocean as well as from the land. Cold ocean water keeps the ambient air temps cool both by day and by night. The sky is full of surprises. It is possible to get sunshine, rain, gales of wind, and dead calm all in one day. This results in a photographer capturing many moods of one subject. It also means the photographer needs many layers of clothing.

Possible Physical Limitations

In this workshop, there are some places that can require an either/or decision on the participant’s part. Very good images can be made by taking no more than a couple of hundred steps from the car on very flat solid ground. Possibly better and more varied shots may require walking on terrain that is sandy, rocky, or debris-covered; brief navigating through slippery mossy and wet forests; descending and returning on stairways to the beach that are 60-100 feet in elevation; or straddling tide pools to get the perfect shot of a starfish. Most will be walking on beaches at low tide where we may cover up to a mile round trip on the wet sand. In every case, Keith and Tony will brief everyone about what the situation is before getting out of the car and be aware of individual needs.

Schedule (subject to change and weather)

While we plan out the week we always have a flexible schedule. Variables out of our control surface and we adjust to them. Or goal is always safety first then enjoyment. 

Saturday

Fly into Portland and drive to Astoria, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific. We will meet up at the motel where we are staying. As a bonus, early birds may get some shooting in that afternoon.

Sunday

Get up real early in the morning and shoot one lighthouse in Washington at sunrise. Return back across the giant bridge that connects Oregon and Washington, have breakfast then return to the waterfront for more shooting.  Then we head to a shipwreck located on the coast while we head south towards Cannon Beach. Spend the night in Cannon Beach

Monday & Tuesday

Two days shooting sea stacks, beaches, a rainforest, and tidal sand rivers. One sunset and two sunrises. Multiple high and low tides. Spend the night in Cannon Beach.

Wednesday and Thursday   

We will head down the coast towards Newport, stopping at multiple places along the way. We will spend the next two nights in this city. We will spend these days imaging lighthouses, tide pools, thunderous waves, and quiet beaches with such names as Devil’s Punch Bowl, Agate Beach, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and Thor’s Well. Our last night together as a group

Friday   You are back on your own.  In Newport depending on individual travel plans, some will leave immediately for Portland airport in the morning; others may hang out at the coast for a little while. This is totally up to you.