Pacific City Sunrise

Pacific City is something of an icon from my youth. Every summer, my parents would load my sister and me into the car and drive us across the state of Oregon. Every summer, we would visit dear friends and see the coast. And Pacific City was the center of our adventures. It was the first beach we would always visit before going on to other places like Tillamook or Lincoln City.

Now that I’m a photographer, life is different. We don’t get up at the leisurely hour of 8:00 A.M. for a day full of relaxed beachgoing. No, I drag my poor family up at 4:00 A.M. for a glimpse of perfect light.

The morning of this photograph tried to disappoint. It was dark when we left our Airbnb, and I didn’t see any stars, a bad sign: it means cloud cover. Sure enough, once twilight gave way to morning, the usual Oregon Coast weather asserted its presence. There was no sun to highlight the rocks, no wisps of cloud, no idealistic beach scene. My patient family got up with me at 4:00 A.M., and all I had to show for it was a dull gray sky.

Fortunately, I kept shooting. It’s one of my significant challenges as a photographer: making the most of what I have when I don’t find what I’m looking for. And finally, in this one long exposure, I discovered my wisps and my highlights, just in the water, not the sky.

The reality is: this is Oregon Coast weather – overcast, gray, maybe a bit drizzly. It’s rare to get a sunny day. And to me, that dim, gray weather has its charm. It’s a nice contrast to the arid Idaho desert. The crisp, fresh sea air is something I enjoy when visiting the Oregon Coast, and I can feel it when I look at this image.

As beautiful as an idealistic photograph can be, sometimes capturing reality is better.