Cannon Beach at Dusk

The coast of Oregon is rugged and beautiful, and many an evening can be spent walking along the beaches, exploring tide pools that team with life, or just kicking back and enjoying a glorious sunset. This spot in particular, in Cannon Beach, is especially popular for tourists and photographers. It's a real challenge to create an image that is compelling and peaceful, without being over-run with people. To create this image, I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out a long exposure. A neutral density filter helped extend my exposure time, so that the water smoothed, and the people largely blurred away.

Haystack Rock is a 235-foot sea stack in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It is sometimes claimed locally to be the third-tallest such "intertidal" (meaning it can be reached by land) structure in the world, but there are no official references to support this. A popular tourist destination, the monolithic rock is adjacent to the beach and accessible by foot at low tide. The Haystack Rock tide pools are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, sea anemone, crabs, chitons, limpets, and sea slugs. The rock is also a nesting site for many sea birds, including terns and puffins.