• The needles..
  • 237 feet Haystack rock.
  • Notice how the reflectivity begins here? If I had used a polarizer, the reflections would be mostly gone! I like glare and reflection.
  • I moved around to have the ripples point to the middle stack just to add more structure to the scene and provide a bit of a vanishing point.
  • Bubbles of sea foam.
  • I waited for an opening like this to drift to the right and over the rising sun.
  • You can see every grain of sand in the big version!
  • I liked the golden tone that the sand added to the reflection of Haystack rock.
  • Ecola State Park. Another photogenic place you must see.
  • I'd maybe crop it like this?
    Actually I do have one like this with just one needle. That will go on my website. - stammberger13
  • I might not be too qualified to comment, but won't this be a better crop? I feel an image like this works well with the horizon on the center and the two halves of the image sharing equal screen space.. But, that's just me.. :) Yes, a pano works well here-Patrick - Vikram Vetrivel
  • Horizon straight...check!

Needles and a Haystack #1 - Cannon Beach, Oregon

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I just got back from a trip along the scenic Oregon coast. One morning on Cannon Beach, a small hole opened up in the dark clouds for just two minutes. Just long enough for me to capture this scene of 237ft. Haystack rock and the needles. Light sure does matter! No HDR

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Settings etc.:
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Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @ 19 (very wide to get it all into the frame)
1/8-second exposure @F11
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.75
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer!
ISO 50
2-second shutter delay. (My remote shutter release died!)
Small Slik tripod with Manfrotto Pistol-grip ball head.
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop

Canon Beach in Northern Oregon is an exceptionally wide, long and flat beach with a number of large rock islands and sea stacks offshore. Low tide is often the best time to see it because you can get closer to the rocks and the sand is glossy and smooth both for walking and for photography. On this morning, I moved into a good position with the ripples pointing towards the middle stack. Then, I waited for a small hole to open up in the cloud deck. For two short minutes, the sun illuminated this scene against a dark sky.

Before and after this good light, this scene looked dark and dreary. But I could see small holes in the clouds heading towards the rising sun. So I waited and waited. The holes seemed to close up just as they reached the sun because they would hit the mountains behind the beach and get thicker. But finally this hole lasted long enough.

I've seen lots of sunset shots from this beach with no detail on these rocks whatsoever, so I decided to work on the sunrises with the light hitting the rocks. It is good to try something different.

The map shows exactly where this is. It is a short hike from the nearest road.

See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
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Andrea Rapisarda, Mik's, elginz, and 742 other people added this photo to their favorites.

View 20 more comments

  1. Shoayb Hesham 24 months ago | reply

    great shot with great reflection

  2. Ashley Honeycutt 24 months ago | reply

    The Oregon coast is my favorite place! You did an amazing job of capturing it simplistic beauty!

  3. The Visual Poet 23 months ago | reply

    Fantastic!

  4. cestinotc1 [in pausa] 23 months ago | reply

    * Questa splendida immagine ha tutta la mia ammirazione !
    * This beautiful image has all my admiration !
    * Cette belle image a toute mon admiration !
    * Dieses schöne Bild hat alle meine bewunderung !
    * Esta bella imagen tiene toda mi admiración !
    * Это красивое изображение имеет все мое восхищение !
    * この美しい画像は、すべて私の賞賛を持っています
    * 这个美丽的形象一直钦佩
    .
    Benvenuti nel mio album e.... buona visione !!!

    Welcome ! CLICCA QUI / CLICK HERE

  5. anto474 22 months ago | reply

    Incredible place! Well done.

  6. Toni.Wang73 22 months ago | reply

    amazing

  7. Tall Bob 22 months ago | reply

    Wow!! A terrific image and photography!!

    BRAVO

    I have faved and tagged your picture with BRAVO and this serves as an invitation to The Best: BRAVO -- pending administrative review.

    Please add the following to your comments on pictures already on BRAVO.

  8. Mary® 21 months ago | reply


    Well done! Please add this picture and join in:


    I LIKE YOUR STYLE!!
    Please Post 1, Award 1, Invite 1

  9. playita1 20 months ago | reply

    Wow! stunning place/shot!

  10. LamVanThe 20 months ago | reply

    It's great, I love, thank you Nhe!
    Thật tuyệt vời, mình rất thích, cảm ơn bạn nhé!

  11. Reaper 11 [deleted] 20 months ago | reply

    Nice to see the home state being represented on Flickr Explore! Great shot! Love Cannon Beach. Take a summer trip to Cannon Beach and Seaside every summer.

  12. miguelangelortega 19 months ago | reply

    seen on 500 favorites and more

    Via items in the 500 favorites and more pool on Fluidr

  13. juandrobfreezer 17 months ago | reply

    This is very beautiful.

  14. emmett.hume 17 months ago | reply

    Very nice.

  15. Liza.Fe.27 {...} 14 months ago | reply

    Stunning!

  16. miguelangelortega 12 months ago | reply

    Seen in "500 favorites and more" group

    Via items in the 500 favorites and more pool on Fluidr

  17. bendkmace 10 months ago | reply

    Beautiful composition. Inspiring landscape!

  18. victor98_2001 10 months ago | reply

    stunting shot

  19. livin juicy 8 months ago | reply

    this is an awesome shot... congrats on getting it just right!

  20. Francisco Aragão 7 months ago | reply

    beautiful landscape !!!

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