Last night's sunset wasn't much of a sunset at all, with dark clouds dominating the sky. It was still very much a scene worth photographing, however. The dark clouds and dark foreground rocks made for an ominous image. I thought the grasses in the foreground made for a nice touch to the overall scene. Hard to believe that we are a week into December already and there isn't a lick of ice to be found anywhere along this shoreline!
Okay, just in case anyone has been looking for a little more perspective on the last two ice shots I've posted, here is a wide-angle view of the wave pool that contained that eye-catching ice. Hollow Rock is in the background.
As promised, here is the same patch of ice as the photo I posted yesterday, only taken a few days later. It's amazing how the same patch of ice can look completely different from one day to the next!
So far in this early winter season we have not had cold enough temperatures for much ice to form, at least not for very long. A recent warm spell combined with rain quickly did away with what little ice and snow we had along the Lake Superior shoreline. So, I'm digging through my archives looking for ice shots, since I have "ice on the brain". This one is a shot of a small Lake Superior wave pool along the Hollow Rock shoreline, taken in January of 2007. It is one of the coolest patterns of ice that I've ever seen. The true scale (in terms of surface area) of this ice was roughly two feet by three feet. I was blown away when I discovered this unique feature. I visited the same site a few days later and the pattern in the ice was completely different. Look for that one to be posted soon :-)
Here is my favorite shot from this morning. December is my favorite time of year to shoot sunrise at Hollow Rock because you can catch the light coming through the hole in the rock. Today I had the magical combination of ideal sunrise conditions and awesome waves. Too many clouds and the light would not have shone through the hole. Not enough waves and the light wouldn't have reflected so strongly on the water. It really was one of those mornings that a photographer dreams about!
This morning's sunrise at Hollow Rock, one of the most intriguing (I think) sections of shoreline to be found anywhere along the north shore of Lake Superior. For most of the past week we have been stuck under a sky completely awash with clouds, so today it is nice to once again see the sun. Last night the forecasters were calling for the skies to clear overnight, so I woke early to see if they were right. As it turns out, they were correct! When I arrived at Hollow Rock I was pleased to see nice big waves crashing upon the shore. While calm mornings are always nice, I usually prefer to have some waves to add interest to my photos. This morning's conditions certainly did not disappoint! I have another super-cool image from this morning that I will be sharing later today, but for now I hope you enjoy this particular version of this morning's beauty on the Lake Superior shoreline.
I like photographing lighthouses, but most of the time I only enjoy it if there is a dramatic sky as a backdrop. I think this one definitely fits that criteria. This is the Coquille River Light, originally known as the Bandon Light in Bandon, Oregon. The light was first lit on February 29, 1896 and contained a fourth-order Fresnel lens. In September 1936 a large wildfire swept through the surrounding area and destroyed most of Bandon. The town soon became bankrupt as a result of the decline in shipping. The light was shut down in 1939 and replaced by an automated light on the south jetty.
