Part 12 – Cape Perpetua – Craig Niesen Photography

The Cape Perpetua area is a photographer’s dream. The seascapes alone are worth the trip. The main thing to keep in mind is to plan your day around the tides. If you do not plan the trip along the tides then you will be disappointed in the outcome. I love photographing here right around high tide and with some wind. This being said, you need to be mindful of the wave action and how the wind will impact the area. While these conditions lend themselves to the best photographic opportunities, they also come with the highest chances of losing your footing and being swept out to sea. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper footwear at this beautiful location.

Devil’s Churn

Devil’s Churn is a small inlet along the Cape Perpetua coastline where the waves break against the basaltic rock formations. Over the past thousands of years, this inlet was formed. I find the breaking waves both calming and breathtaking. Here you will see one of the best examples of the forces of nature and how they affect the land. This being both Shelley and I’s first time to this beautiful coastal area we did not venture down onto the rocks surrounding the Churn. Instead, we found similar compositions from the winding path that goes to the bottom. For my composition, I focused on the breaking waves across Devil’s Churn. I was attempting to capture the moment when the waves would break over the black basaltic rock. I made this photograph at ISO 100, f/2.8, at 1/400 second, with 14-24mm lens at 20mm.

Thor’s Well

Thor’s Well is most likely the remains of a collapsed sea cave. Many believe that Thor’s Well is about 20 feet deep. Thor’s Well is known to be connected to the ocean.

My favorite time to visit the formation is around high tide. I highly recommend that if you are going to visit and walk down on the basaltic rock formation to the well that you understand the risks. Basaltic rocks in this location can be sharp. This, coupled with the actions of the waves at Cape Perpetua during high tide and storms, can make the walk treacherous at best. You definitely want footwear that has traction-think waterproof hiking boots. If it feels dangerous, then do not go near the well. No photograph is worth your life, and putting yourself in a position where you are uncomfortable is the quickest way to introduce an unstable element into a dangerous situation. Don’t become that unstable element.

The composition that I photographed of Thor’s well on that day was made from about 5 to 10 feet away. This photograph was shot at ISO 100, 22mm, f/22.0, at 0.8 seconds with a circular polarizer on. I did not fully engage the polarizer for the photograph. I only rotated it enough to allow the viewer to see into the tidal pool that is located in the foreground on the right side of the photograph.