Seaside, Oregon
I spent a fabulous weekend with my girlfriends at Seaside beach in Oregon. I love the quaint, bustling town of Seaside and the beautiful stretch of beach.
My BFF and I headed out Saturday afternoon to walk the beach and scour the shore for treasures. We came across this little guy who hobbled away from me with a lame leg when I got too close so I backed off and let him be. I wonder if he was wounded in a scrap with another Seagull over a crab dinner. There was lots of chomped on crab shells littering the shore!
The tide was low and we watched some men fishing in the ocean, casting their lines out with hand held poles.
That was the first I had seen of someone fishing from the shore like that. It made me a little leery to slosh my feet in the shallow water for fear of fish nibbling at my feet!
After our long walk on the beach we headed back to the beach house for a delicious dinner and a rollicking game of Cards Against Humanity. Several rounds in we took a break and we noticed the sky was pink and purple with the setting sun. I grabbed up my camera and ran to try and beat the fast dropping sun before it left for the night. I ran up a hill and then down sand dunes past groups of people huddled around bon fires on the beach.
The sky was changing colors rapidly. I ran faster towards the shoreline to capture a shot of the amber light illuminating seagulls standing like sentinels at the waters edge. I knew how quickly the light was going to disappear and I willed myself to make it on time.
I ran. Stopped. Snapped a shot. Then ran closer.
Closer. Stealthier now as I didn't want to disturb the line of seagulls.
My toes touched the waters edge. I aimed, held my breath and took my final shot. I made it with barely a minute to spare. I paused for a moment, catching my breath and watched the sun slip away and the darkness of night took over.
This is how I shoot. I don't pause for a perfectly poised shot atop a tripod. I don't know all the specifics of all the mathematical things my camera can do. I adjust the ISO while on the run. I shoot, check, adjust for the lighting, then shoot again. It's quick, imperfect but I enjoy the wild challenge of catching beauty on the run.