[/caption] There is no greater way to end the Labor Day Holiday than having the ability to catch a sunset like this along the Oregon Coast. Cannon Beach is by far the best place to catch the sunset and I’m always impressed with the quality of the sunset as well as the color of the rocks and sand. On this particular sunset the tide was starting to go out so you could see all of the contours of the sand in the foreground. This is always a great opportunity in order to create some terrific personality in the photo. As you can see, the fog in the distance was very thick and you pretty much have to assume that the sun is going to set 15-20 minutes before sunset since it sets behind the fog. Sometimes this gives you even better sunsets but you really have to be prepared for the changes in color since the fog will reflect the sun. I was also lucky that I was able to get this type of panoramic shot without having any people in it since I wanted to get a panoramic landscape shot. Since the sun was still fairly high I wasn’t able to set the shutter priority so I ended up setting the camera mode to Normal/Program and set the ISO to 100 and the white balance at -0.7. I also attached my CIR-PL and warming filter in order to avoid sun glare and sun spots. I was using my Sigma 17-70mm lens and set the focal length at 17mm. The aperture was set at F-5 and the shutter speed at 1/125 second. I was able to get some descent shots while setting the shutter speed to between 10 and 20 seconds but the sun had already set and the colors weren’t nearly as awesome.
Tag Archives: sunset at Cannon Beach
The Needles at Cannon Beach, OR
[/caption] The Fourth of July weekend was spectacular along the Oregon coast. We spent 3 days at Rockaway Beach and were met with 3 straight days of clear skies and warm temperatures with absolutely no clouds. On our drive home I decided to stop at Cannon Beach and wait for the sunset to cap off an unbelievable holiday weekend. However, by the time sunset came at 9:10pm the clouds had moved in along the horizon and completely absorbed the sun at around 8:45pm. I decided that I would try to capitalize on this and try to make the best at what I was given. Since the light was now pretty low I attached my ND8 along with my CIR-PL and warming filter and set the camera mode to shutter priority so I could blur the clouds and waves crashing against the rocks. The clouds were traveling at such a high speed that I knew that I would be blessed with some spectacular colors. To make matters even better is that the moon was just above the Needles. This particular shot was one of my last photos of the night and it was taken at 9:37pm which was well after sunset. I set the shutter speed to 30 seconds in order to maximize the blur of the clouds and water. I made sure to use my tripod, bubble level and remote switch in order to avoid any camera shake. Luckily there wasn’t much of a wind which was crucial to the success of my 30 second exposure shots. The tide was also low which allowed me to get close to the rocks scattered all around. I set the focal length at 28mm and the aperture was set at F-11 due to the amount of filters and the fact that I had the ISO at 100 and the white balance at -1.
Sunset
[/caption] I took this photo during the month of August while the temperatures were warm and the day was sunny with almost no cloud cover. Only a few wispy clouds in the distance help create a spectacular mood across the horizon. To get this shot I was using my Canon EOS T1i and my 18-55mm lens. I had been trying to set my shutter to a higher second count but the sun was too intense and I ended up switching to Program/Normal mode in order to avoid over exposure. However, once the sun had set I was able to use the shutter mode but unfortunately the sky’s were much darker and the mood wasn’t as spectacular. I was trying to catch the silhouette of the sunset in the sand as well as the small pools of water resting near the rocks. However, getting the crashing swells at their best potential was a tall order. I felt that I couldn’t make the most of this sunset and time was running out. I ended up scrambling all over the beach like a crazy animal trying to get the best shots. I made sure to attach my warming and my CIR-PL filter. I was also using my tripod, bubble level and remote switch so I wouldn’t have any blur. The focal length was set at 50mm in order to frame the rocks in the photo. The aperture was at F-5.7 and the shutter speed was at 1/13 second. Again, because of the intensity of the glaring sunset I had to set the ISO at 100 and the white balance at 0. This photo was taken just south of Cannon Beach, OR. I usually don’t come to this spot when taking sunset photos due to the tides swallowing up the beach. However, since the tide was low I was able to take advantage of the sunset.