RogersFall 2015
Pau Hana Sunset at Cape Lookout, Tillamook, OR: I called Barbara on the cell phone. "I know it's another on of those damn sunsets but you better come down here and check this out, leave the dishes for later." Begrudgingly, she hopped on her biked and was on the beach just a few minutes. I had already lined up my shot. We didn't have much time, only 15 minutes to go. She joined me and I told her of my plan to get as many birds in the sunset shot as possible. You know, I always try to get that classic bird silhouetted in the sun shot. Not much people and no cliffs and tons of birds wading along the water's edge. Perfect, I lined up them up in the foreground with sun 10 minutes from setting in the background.
The plan was for Barbara to chase them and they would all fly into the sunset while I unleashed the Nikon. Perfect. 8 minutes to go, waiting for the magic moment. All a sudden, the birds start taking off, flying out of my view finder. I looked to the left and here comes a friskie Scottish Terrier, not on his leash, chasing the birds down the beach. "Whaaaa! My birds, you're chasing my birds." I cussed a little and ran down the beach to where the birds had settle 200 yards away. I looked at the couple walking down the beach with a empty leash in their hand. I cussed some more.
Ok, all set, I have the birds in front of me, the ocean is pumping, the sun 4 minutes a way from touchdown. This will be great. Nope, here comes Scotty McPain-in-the-Okole chasing my birds again. All I have in front of me are the waves and the sun, on birds. I scolded the dog who had come up to me with his you-know-what eating grin, dancing around me. " I chased your birds, I chased your birds." I quickly wandered over to the couple who FINALLY put the leash on McFleabag. With a humor I told them about my shot and how it was no more thanks to Muttly. They just smiled, shrugged their shoulders and walked on. No time to read them the riot act. 2 minutes to sunset.
I spotted a tall slender man our age throwing tennis balls into the ocean and his sleek golden retriever/labrador sitting in the waves, contently watch the balls drop around him. Totally in love with the water, sucking up the atmosphere. He would be my subject, my sunset adonis, the contrast to the golden sun. The sunset had already gone to the dogs. But, hey, I did get the shots. I even got a few of just the sun and ocean before it.
