Oregon is just MADE for photographers!

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD

10/08/2006 12:46:48 AM · #1

As some of you may recall, I took a 5-day transcontinental trip to Eugene, Oregon in early September to attend a family wedding. I spent Thursday evening and Friday with

CharlieBaker (

Zoomdak's dad) at Cannon Beach, then drove to Eugene for the wedding.

Friday evening produced two high-scoring shots at Ecola Point, Sunday gave me a 6+ in the Gary Larson challenge, Monday gave me a 6+ in "Geometry" challenge. Not a bad haul for 3 days of active shooting in a place not my own :-) Then of course, there's Doc dominating the blues with the same damned beach, just like Zoomdak used to, and you have to conclude Oregon's as good a place for photographers as Iceland :-)

Robt.

MadMan2k

Sony Alpha a6400

10/08/2006 12:58:45 AM · #2

Yeah, Oregon sure does look great in photos. I hope I'll be able to go up there sometime.

colyla

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

10/08/2006 04:15:17 AM · #3

yes it is....just got my prints the other day from when we went in July. I'm hoping to go again here soon. (fingers crossed if everything goes as planned)

PS did you get to see any tidepools while you were there?

Message edited by author 2006-10-08 04:15:58.

Artifacts

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/08/2006 08:27:09 AM · #4

Cannon Beach, Oregon and the northern Oregon coast have been the inspiration for a lot of high placing challenge entries over the last several years, that is for sure.

timfythetoo

Apple iPhone 13 Pro

10/08/2006 09:04:36 AM · #5

I would love for someone to come to Columbus and show me how to take a great and award winning landscape shot here. Oregon is a bit of a drive for us.

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

10/08/2006 03:53:44 PM · #6

Originally posted by timfythetoo:

I would love for someone to come to Columbus and show me how to take a great and award winning landscape shot here. Oregon is a bit of a drive for us.

Send me a ticket and I'll take you up on that!

R.

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

10/08/2006 04:02:38 PM · #7

Having visited every state of the union except Rhode Island and Delaware, I would say that every state has something unique to offer photographers (with the possible exception of Kansas, which is much flatter than a fritter and about as picturesque).

MikeJ

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/08/2006 04:29:05 PM · #8

People that take pictures of Oregon are suppose to say they were taken in Kansas. We don't want people to know just how beautiful it is over here, which is why we've spent so much money on telling people how dark, dreary, rainy and cold it is all the time. Why even history was re-written so that the Lewis and Clark historic records told of dreary, cold, windy and constant rain and fog conditions during their extended stay here. In reality, they were having a blast on the miles and miles of beaches along the Oregon coast. Now if THAT had gotten into the history books, Oregon would be just like California.

So remember, anyone that takes pictures here, you have to say they were taken in Kansas, or Nebraska, or Iowa or even Texas. But don't mention Oregon at all.

;D

Mike

10/08/2006 06:23:28 PM · #9

Originally posted by MikeJ:

So remember, anyone that takes pictures here, you have to say they were taken in Kansas, or Nebraska, or Iowa or even Texas. But don't mention Oregon at all.

;D

Mike

Yah, lots of nice ocean beaches in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa :-)

R.

yanko

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

10/08/2006 06:23:47 PM · #10

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Then of course, there's Doc dominating the blues with the same damned beach, just like Zoomdak used to, and you have to conclude Oregon's as good a place for photographers as Iceland :-)

This is probably taboo to bring up but why is it that these photos don't receive the backlash that other subjects do? I've joked before about landscapes always being on the front page every week but it's true. If they don't make the front page they dominate the top 20. Clearly the voters go crazy for them, but why? With so many of these photos placing high shouldn't voters become more picky with them? Shouldn't the shear abundance of them weigh down their "perceived" difficulty level? I swear, some of the most oversharpened (with halos), oversaturated images are high scoring landscapes yet if you do any of that to other subjects chances are you'll get penalized heavily especially if it's say a portrait shot. Why are voters not picky with landscapes? Why do they vote the common landscape shot with something like this, an uncommon masterpiece?

Now maybe I'm being a bit harsh but I'm just trying to make a point. I believe the landscape shots that do well deserve to do well. I just think many do too well, if you know what I mean. It's like each landscape shot starts out with a .5 bonus from the get go.

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

10/08/2006 06:30:57 PM · #11

Originally posted by yanko:

Landscapes tend to be more "universal" than other sorts of images; they speak to a common yearning in all of us. So in a popular voting site, truly good landscapes will score well.

R.

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

10/08/2006 06:35:11 PM · #12

Isn't anyone going to defend Kansas? There are some unique things in Kansas. That is the only place I have ever seen rock used as fence posts. It seems there were no trees around that neck of the quarry so they split pieces of sandstone layers to make the posts and string barbed wire on them just as if the posts were made of wood. They makes churches out of the stuff as well!

LucidLotus

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/08/2006 06:50:14 PM · #13

Originally posted by yanko:

This is probably taboo to bring up but why is it that these photos don't receive the backlash that other subjects do? Clearly the voters go crazy for them, but why? With so many of these photos placing high shouldn't voters become more picky with them? Shouldn't the shear abundance of them weigh down their "perceived" difficulty level? Why are voters not picky with landscapes?

My guess is that where landscapes are concerned, the relative difficulty level isn't the first thing that is thought of.. rather aesthetics are key.

Gorgeous colors and how they work together, a pleasing scene, these more than the technicals tend to (IMO) be the important issue. Then if these are met the technical aspects are looked for - sharpness, horizon, focus, etc.

Still I'd agree that landscapes tend to get something of a bye. I know when I look at a landscape, my thought first tends to go to "would I wish I was there" which in my mind is a purely aesthetic driven question. I love landscapes because most of them are either awash in brilliant colors or have a high drama factor and those can both be presented with less than stellar technical skill. Of course, when the technical part AND the beauty are top notch the image is all the better.

Landscapes for me are a mini vacation, when they are done even passingly well I can still envision myself going there and experiencing the beauty being shown and that personal connection does influence my vote.

LucidLotus

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

10/08/2006 06:51:46 PM · #14

Oh and uh,

MikeJ is right. Oregon is just a rainy, foggy, pile o' rocks. Nothing to see, move along..

:D

MadMan2k

Sony Alpha a6400

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD

10/08/2006 08:29:46 PM · #15

Originally posted by ElGordo:

Maybe I just haven't seen the right parts of Kansas, but I wasn't impressed at all when we went there last year. We're going again this year and I'll try to find something to shoot...

Sheryll

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/08/2006 08:41:11 PM · #16

Originally posted by ElGordo:

I too have been to every state in the Union with the exception of Alaska. And I must sat the I could probably find more photo ops in Kansas than I could ever find in North Dakota. On the other hand South Dakota is so oposite. That place could definately rival Oregon. Then again a lot of that has been done already and Oregon still has a lot that hasn't been done (well maybe).

Anyway I can't wait to get back there. I am in another picturesque state right now (Hawaii) but, I go home in March or April after over 20 years in the Navy.
Sheryll

ElGordo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS for Canon

10/08/2006 09:23:12 PM · #17

North Dakota is very scenic, especially in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park; lots of forest, streams, and mountains.

Sheryll