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Wednesday, February 5, 2020

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!


14 comments:

  1. ...wowzer and here I thought that I was seeing waves!!!

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  2. Fabulous images Linda. I love it when the sea is rough here in Bangor.

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  3. Oh wow, those waves are amazing. I enjoy watching waves too and those were wonderful. You would have had a great day there. Thanks for sharing your great photos.

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  4. Hello, the coastline is beautiful. I love the view of the lighthouse. The wave action shots are just awesome, well done. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy weekend ahead.

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  5. Impressive waves and photography, especially for a beginner and under the windy damp conditions. Well done you!

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  6. Stunning images! What an amazing way to ring in the new year.

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  7. Fantastic images! I don't believe I've ever seen those lovely fan shapes in the waves.

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  8. I like your ending. the sea, high tide and waves would be an excellent way to start the New Year. By the way, happy New Year! Now this greeting might be late, but it's your fault because the post is so late!!!!

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  9. Spectacular wave shots! Those fan waves are unbelievable!

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  10. I was hiking out of the Grand Canyon on NYD. Love your wave photos!

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  11. Wow! Those are some beautiful and spectacular waves. We might well be getting something similar on the west coasts of Britain in the next couple of days as a big storm is forecast.

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  12. I was taking care of a sick husband and sitting in the Emergency Room most of the day I would rather have been taking photos too!

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  13. I loved seeing these photos on instagram, Linda. They remind me of Japanese lithograph paintings.

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