It was quite clear the moment we arrived at Del Rey Beach that I was in my element. Midway between Astoria and Seaside along Oregon's northwest coast, Del Rey is a flat, sandy beach fronting the wild Pacific Ocean. Tillamook Head is visible to the south; fields of golden dunegrass top the sand dunes; and the relentless waves keep coming. I hadn't taken "non-family" photos in a while, but within moments of arriving, I was doing nothing but.
There is no place closer to heaven and the Spirit than at an ocean beach (IMHO). The winds blow, the waves come, the sky goes on seemingly forever. At locations such as Del Rey, there is little human habitation in sight (especially when looking out to sea!). The power of the waves, breaking off shore and then rolling up the beach in unpredictable ways, is awe-some and mesmorizing.
Arriving there close to sunset meant an everchanging palette of sea and sky unfolding before me. By re-framing the shot, I was able to portray the ocean as one of power and might or as a place of seemingly calm solitude. The colors, too, enforced the themes, with the golden hues connoting royalty and power, while the blue tones denoting solemnity and quietude.
Two memory cards later, with the sun down and the sky ever darkening, it was reluntantly time to move on. I returned to the Pacific the following two days at different times of day and different locales, always driven to photograph yet again. Sometimes we need a little push to get back in the photographic mode. When you need that push, going to the place where you can be in "Your Element" is a sure jump-start. The ocean is one of those places for me. Find yours.
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