The harbor next to Rogue Brewery where we ate.
Clouds happen a lot in the Pacific Northwest. It is kind of what the place is known for. The coast is notorious for it, and on this evening we were definitely getting plenty of fog that just never lifted during the day. It wasn’t going to be a bad trip because I did stop off for some good food at the Rogue Brewery in Newport, OR. Still, I wanted an image to take home as well.
I decided to head down to my favorite spot on the coast to shoot, which is Seal Rock. There are endless compositions and is often not overrun on the busiest of days. As is typical though, the fog was as thick as could be there. I did manage to get an image that was very atmospheric with the hazy rocks in the background and an incoming wave sweeping down and to the bottom left of the frame. I also managed to destroy my shoes with salt water and muck.
Motion in the waves at Seal Rock.
On the drive back to the Portland area, I decided to make a pit stop at the Newport bridge right next to where we had dinner. The fog did seem to make for a nice atmosphere. The image was missing something though. A nice purple hue to the fog seemed to be coming through the clouds, but that wasn’t enough to bring the image to where I wanted it. I decided to wait for something to happen, either clouds breaking or a ship. Anything to make it unique!
I kept snapping images as the birds flew through, adjusting my ISO and shutter speed to freeze the action. Luckily this paid off in the end. As I was about to leave, a small boat came through the fog under the bridge. I shot an image or two as it passed by before packing up everything to go home. In post-production, I blended all the elements I wanted in frame together for a very dark and foggy harbor mood that fits the landscape perfectly!
