Wild Waves

How did you spend New Year's Day?  Sleeping in and/or nursing a hangover from the previous night's festivities?  Never one for celebrating in that fashion, I went to bed before midnight and rose early to accompany my neighbor and photography mentor Cheri on a trip to the Washington coast.  High tides and huge waves were predicted at Cape Disappointment - creating a perfect opportunity for some photo ops.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Although I'd visited Cape Disappointment once before, it had been many years ago.  Luckily, Cheri was familiar with this popular state park on Washington's coast, just north of the Columbia River.  She drove right to a parking lot with a fantastic view of the Cape Disappointment lighthouse.

Sunlit wave action

Not only was the lighthouse perched on a tall, rocky cliff photogenic, so were the waves that came crashing at it's base.  A popular place for wave-watchers, we had to jockey our tripods around many other photographers who'd also arrived for the show.

Fan wave

It took a quite bit of practice shots before I got the hang of capturing the tall waves, rising up, curling, and finally crashing into the shoreline.

Green sea water

The day's weather alternated between faint sunshine and dark, rain-spitting clouds.  Luckily we'd brought umbrellas, which were held over tripods when the squalls blew through (we didn't want to lose our places so our cameras stayed put).

Huge splash

It was mesmerizing to sit and watch the waves.  Some rolled over the rocks, while others hit in such a manner they created lovely fan shapes.  Every once and awhile a huge wave would crash into the shore with a fantastically tall splash.

Iconic lighthouse view

Since we never knew when one of the larger waves might hit, Cheri and I constantly stood watch beside our tripods, not wanting to miss the "big one."

Powerful wave curl

We stood at attention most of the day, from 9 am to nearly 3:30 in the afternoon.  Finally, knees and feet tired from standing, we decided to call it quits.  We'd both filled our memory cards with thousands of images.  How many more wave photos did one need?

One of the larger waves

Still, loathe to depart, we sat on a nearby driftwood pile for just a few minutes longer, hoping to witness a huge splash.  With high tide scheduled for 4 pm, by now a large crowd had gathered. 

Wave and fishing boat

But it had been a fun day on the coast, and we finally headed for home.  A different type of photography for me, I'd learned a lot on this outing. 

A great way to ring in the new year - and decade!