Heceta Beach Sunset

[AlanLichty]

I had one of those master plans for a moonrise shot looking back at the Heceta Head Lighthouse the day after the supermoon with the extra low tide right at sunset. Did my homework using The Photographer's Ephemeris, NOAA tide tables, and Windy TV for weather info on swell height/directions. The only problem was reality - which didn't match my expectations for a location to shoot from.

During the winter of 2016-2017 the NW got hit with a lot more rain than usual. Almost double normal rainfall for some coastal locations. In this case there is a local creek that comes out on the opposite side of the beach from the lighthouse named Cape Creek. In recent years the creek hugged the edge of a set of cliffs and then dumped into the Pacific. During some of the heavy rains last winter a new and significant gravel bar formed right at a corner of the cliffs and the creek is now diverted well out onto the beach away from the cliffs. The old chunk of beach where we used to be able to shoot the lighthouse from is now right in the middle of where the creek runs and even with a -1.8' tide you can't even come close to getting a view of the lighthouse from below. This image shows the new configuration:

The water where we used to shoot from (look for the far set of birds) is about knee high but the creek has removed all the sand and cut down to gravel so even extra low tide waves will wash into your position. Sneaker waves this time of year make that a Really Bad Idea(TM).

I didn't really find the beach all that photogenic right now but still had some interesting skies so I went for long open shutter times to get my sunset shot in for the day:

Heceta Beach Sunset

• AlanLichty
• Jan 6, 2018

Sunset on the beach below the Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon.

C&C always welcome.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Very nice second image Alan. I know that area well and regret the changes. Did you know they buried a dead whale in that beach a few years ago. I have pictures of them doing it someplace. I also have a picture of a sunset from here.

 

[JimFox]

Those are hard conditions to shoot under Alan. And I am familiar with that beach too and have seen it stripped bare to gravel, it's not a pretty site. Your ultimate capture in #2 isn't what you went for, but it's a nice take away. Sometimes the best planning almost has to be done on site. Even with all of the tools available, it's always hard to predict every element. Like in Yosemite, I can try an plot out an angle for a shot from home, but what I might not realize is that when I actually go to set it up is that there are perhaps trees blocking my path, or maybe the Merced has eating away at a river bank I had expected to shoot from.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

All of nature is in dynamic equilibrium which means it is constantly changing to adapt to the most recent set of conditions. I guess we just have to adapt to the new conditions. If you live long enough you get to bemoan many places that nature has changed. That was the point of my post a while back about showing formerly great images that no longer exist. I like you, Alan, feel sad when it happens.. But think of all of the wonderful images we do get to photograph that didn't exist before. And you have gotten to photograph many of them.

 

[Martín el Escocés]

At least you got a decent take-away with the second one Alan. I know that each time I go to a site like Ruby Beach, a bit higher up the coast in Washington, I always hold my breath to see how it has been reconfigured by the Winter. Over several years it changes quite drastically - though always remaining interesting!

 

[lionking]

Love the second image Alan!
I would consider removing the black rock on the left it is a distraction from the the beautiful skies and smooth wave action...