artist note

Oregon Pacific Coast Portfolio

This group of photographs resulted from the work done during the Oregon Workshop taught by Stu Levy and Willie Osterman in late August of 2023. The Pacific coast has been the inspiration and challenge to many photographers since the 1930s, including Ansel Adams, Group of f/64, and others. While historically this development is usually associated with California coastal ranges and beaches, the Oregon coastline is equally spectacular and perhaps even more awe-inspiring.

Today, Oregon state maintains several state parks which provide easy access to beaches and are well maintained. With Coos Bay as a base, we visited different locations, at different times, weather and tides. The images came from different trips and locations, including Shore Acres, Cape Arago and Bandon State Park. The Shore Acres Park has a beautiful formal garden with a pond, as seen in image OPC_03. It renders surprisingly well in black and white. The exposed outcrop close to the lookout (OPC_07) was the only place that called to me to keep it in colour.

There were no darkroom facilities, so all the work used digital cameras.