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The drama of the Oregon Coast captured by professional photographer and pastor, Alden Ho
Hot on the heels of our Photo Contest we received this instructive little piece from our favorite Pastor on a Friday, Alden Ho.
I WAS SO EXCITED about riding down part of the Oregon coast that when my friends dropped me off at Seaside, I took off like a bolt of lightning thinking that I would run into Highway 101 where I would make the left turn to head south.
It was about 4 pm, and I had gone about 9 miles. My excitement changed to concern when I was wondering why the sun was coming from behind my left shoulder, when it should have been heading into it with to my right. I checked my compass and the map, which I should have done 9 miles back. Duh! I was heading in the opposite direction! It would not have been so bad if I had been joy riding, but with my camping gear, cooking gear, food, laptop, tripod and all my camera gear totaling 75 + lb., it was not good to say the least.
I was heading to a weekend preaching appointment in Corvallis, and wanted to bike tour down as much of the coast as I could while also photograph it. When I finally crossed the highway to head the right direction, I noticed how sore my legs were for just going 9 miles, and not having trained ahead of time for this, since it was the end of March. It was going to be a painful ride, especially with all this WEIGHT!
I made it to Cannon Beach and have always wanted to photograph the 'haystacks.' There weren't too many people on the beach, but enough that they would be a hindrance to any pictures. I parked the Bike Friday and walked down part of the beach to get some shots. As the sun was setting, more people came out to the beach to enjoy what I was enjoying too. A beautiful cloudless sky painted in warm hues silhouetting the bold figures of the haystacks. Simply awesome!
I quickly went back to grab my poor overloaded Bike Friday and struggled to push it onto the beach where the sand was hard packed from the retreating tide. I bike on the hard sand closer to the haystacks and set up my tripod. I kept on shooting as the golden sun slowly sank into the massive horizon. Little did I realize that right after the sun disappeared, so did all the people. The beach was empty!
Thinking that this would be a great opportunity for a self portrait with the bold haystacks and broad sky behind, I set up the tripod and put my camera on self timer with the flash. Trying to estimate how much time I would need to run back to my bike and not wanting to leave a trail in the sand as I ran to the bike, I had to make a wide run at it. The first shot was not good. No face, just rear end. I ran faster the second time and made it. I had forgotten the effects of flash on my Illuminite jacket and pannier stripes, but what was I to do, with the blackness of night setting quickly in. I took my last couple shots of Cannon Beach and then headed to the campground to rest after a short but tiring first day.
Alden J. Ho www.aldenho.com