Oregon Coast and Arcata, CA photographers...

[matthew blais]

I'm headin' out on a road trip....if anyone would like to hook up and meet, I'll be in Cannon Beach next Monday -Tuesday noon (18-19), then down to Beverly State park till Wed Noon( 19-20),then on down to Shore Acres Wednesday, Thursday and leave there Friday morning (20-22).

From there through the Redwoods to a campsite at Patrick's Point (Arcata Area) on Friday the 22nd.

I have campsites reserved at Beverly, Shore Acres (Sunset Bay State Park) and Patrick's point..Cannon Beach I'll be at Sea Ranch resort...or Wright's for camping.
I have 3G phone so emails welcome

Welcome to crash the site, say hello, go shooting with me...

Matt

[Vaughn]

I might be able to drop by your campsite Friday evening (the 22nd) at Patricks' Point. We have not made plans yet for the long week-end , so plans for Saturday are still up in the air.

Vaughn

[matthew blais]

Cool...I was going to be up last October with Per and gang...but couldn't swing it.
be great to meet you.

I'll be in Abalone 043

[Vaughn]

About what time do you think you'll pull into the campground? Silly Question, I know...lots to see and photograph between Shore Acres and Patricks Point. You'll be going through my favorite woods (along Prairie Creek).

Vaughn

PS...as per your post below, I'll email you that day.

[matthew blais]

I reckon about 5:00 pm Friday the 22...
Allowing about 4-5 hrs for stopping and such..
feel free to email me that day

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Matt, I hope you are having a great time! Damn, i wish I could have gone. It would have been a fun trip and seeing Vaughn would have been a bonus! Have a great trip and let me know when you get back. We stayed at Patrick's Point in October. Make sure you stop at Prairie Creek or better yet have Vaughn show you around.

Jim

[Jim Graves]

Matt ... sounds like you won't have a lot of time after Patrick's Point State Park (one of my favorite places.)

Three suggestions for quick side trips with nice photo opportunities on the way South (assuming you're driving.)

1) Just South of Patrick's Point is the little fishing village of Trinidad (named by Sir Francis Drake on Trinity Sunday) ... right off the highway ... take the exit and drive West thru town (about 5 blocks) and the Main St. turns South ... in 3 blocks you'll come to an elevated, unobstructed view of 20 miles of coastline (with a small light house and fishing harbor in the foreground.) if you turn West from there and wind down the hill for about 8 blocks, you'll end up at the dock (which you can walk out on for photos) and a good little restaurant (The Seascape ... blackberry pancakes are fabulous and you have a view of the harbor ... often with seals and always with gulls) ... there is a little beach below the restaurant and a nice big beach 300 yds behind the restaurant facing North. If you take the short walk up the road and trail behind the restaurant onto Trinidad Head, you'll have an elevated unobstructed view of about 10 miles of coastline to the North.

2) Eureka ... 24 miles South of Trinidad. After you come across the bridge into town, look for the Samoa Bridge sign (Hwy 255 or "R" Street) ... turn West and go over the first part of the bridge and follow the signs to the Marina. Another nice restaurant overlooking a fairly big, working marina with fishing boats, sailing boats, etc ... and, you can walk right down on the docks for pictures ... and there's another light house. When you head back up to Eureka to get on 101, if you detour slightly to the South on 3rd Street, you'll run into the most photographed private residence in the U.S. ... the Carson Mansion ... an unbelievable Victorian built by a lumber baron to keep his employees working thru an economic downturn in the 1880/90s.

3) Roosevelt Redwoods ... about 16 miles South of Scotia (or 42 miles from Eureka) ... take the Mattole Rd (Hwy 211) west ... look for signs to Rockefeller Forest on your left within a couple of miles ... an amazing stand of old growth Redwoods with trails. When you return to 101, instead of continuing on 101 South, follow the signs for the Avenue of the Giants ... it is the old highway South and will take you through some more great stands of Redwoods.

[Turner Reich]

3) Roosevelt Redwoods ... about 16 miles South of Scotia (or 42 miles from Eureka) ... take the Mattole Rd (Hwy 211) west ... look for signs to Rockefeller Forest on your left within a couple of miles ... an amazing stand of old growth Redwoods with trails. When you return to 101, instead of continuing on 101 South, follow the signs for the Avenue of the Giants ... it is the old highway South and will take you through some more great stands of Redwoods.


...Roosevelt Elk which comes in to the school house where you can photograph them close up...

[Sideshow Bob]

Maybe this is not the place to ask but when and where is the best time to photograph the Rhododendrons in the area?
Gale

[Jim Graves]

Gale ... here's the official word: "Bloom predictions can be difficult given seasonal weather variations, but they usually flower in April and May. A second burst of late bloomers often comes a month or so later." The Eureka Rhododendron Parade was held 4/25. If you pm Vaughn, he can tell you how they're looking this year.

Here's the site:
http://redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=3722

[Capocheny]

Hi Matt,

Have a safe journey... we'll be following in your footsteps in mid-June on our way down to Portland!

I've been told that it may get too windy to use LF and that a smaller format may be the better tool to use. I would assume this to be a seasonal thing but... any suggestions?

Cheers

[Vaughn]

Today is perfect in Humboldt County -- fog and little wind -- great for those long exposures in the redwoods.

In June and the rest of the summer, early in the day it is often foggy and good for photography in the redwoods. Later in the day the north wind can pick up, clearing off the fog and making LF photography along the coast difficult. In the summer, having sun most often means having a strong north wind. But often the wind will die down around sunset.

A light wind on the coast might still allow still air in the redwoods. The best time of day under the redwoods is usually 10am to 2pm, when an overcast or fog creates a giant softbox effect, creating pools of light coming straight down through openings in the canopy, with a good amount of contrast for silver gelatin printing. Also, during this time, the up-canyon and down-canyon winds are counter balanced, giving still air for awhile.

My favorite time to photograph in the Redwoods is late Fall and through the winter when a light overcast between storms gives still air. And as the leaves drop off the alders and berries, the view under the redwoods opens up. Plus if shooting B&W a yellow filter creates great highlights when the maples (Big Leaf and Vine maples) and the berries' leaves turn yellow.

The last few years I have been able to take advantage of sun coming directly through the canopy -- carbon printing can take the contrast easily in stride. But with sun comes a greater chance of wind, and the quickly shifting light is much greater challenge to capture than the relatively stable "softbox" light of an overcast.

But it is always beautiful.

The redwoods in the southern part of the county (along the Eel River) are much different than the conditions above. Farther from the coast, and in a major river valley, the fog can leave much earlier in the day, if it is there at all...with a greater chance of a breeze. There are groves with much less undergrowth (flood plains), some areas with the forest floor covered with redwood sorrel (think of the Wayne Bullock image of his young daughter at the base of a redwood), and a good amount of poison oak (not found on the coast).

Vaughn

[Sideshow Bob]

Thanks Jim, that’s interesting. A few years ago I stop at one of the parks (I think it was a USG) and they told me the best month is June, strange.
Gale

[Capocheny]

Hello Vaughn,

Thanks for the information... it sounds like a photographer's heaven! :)

Hi Jim,

Sounds like some great shooting sites too!

Cheers

[Vaughn]

Gale,

based on what I saw yesterday....The wild azaleas are starting to bloom -- those that are getting lots of sun will peak this week, as are the wild irises. The Rhodies deep in the redwoods will not be far behind (Lady Bird Johnson Grove and the trail down to the Tall Trees Grove, both in Redwood National Park, are good places to see these amongst the old redwoods.

The non-native rhodies are in full bloom around the gardens and yards of the county.

The triliums have been out for awhile, but there are still some fresh ones to be seen.

Vaughn

[Sideshow Bob]

Vaughn,

Thanks for the excellent reply. The bad news is I'm not going to make it up there this year as I have my first art show, for the season, in a couple of weeks and I need to get ready. Now that I have a better idea of when the bloom happens, I will put it on my calendar for next year.

Gale

[Vaughn]

Gale -- check in here before you come. The timing can vary by several weeks!

Vaughn