We have driven along the Oregon Coast several times in the past few years. Unfortunately, each time we encountered blue skies and strong sun, which in our view didn’t do justice to the beauty of this magnificent place.
Finally, this time we had one morning during which the coastal scenery presented itself at its best. Patches of fog blanketed giant rock structures, which occasionally received a larger dose of filtered light.
As usual, I took a few initial exposures and checked all the data on our Fuji X-Pro1 paired with the XF 14mm F2.8 and Fuji X100s. The cameras were choosing apertures between 5.6 and 8 with shutter speeds fast enough for me to shoot from the hand. This allowed me to walk around freely, letting the camera do all the technical work. I could keep all my attention on the beautiful scenery, composition and light.
Even in a place of such a beauty, one requires concentration and focus. Maybe it is just me but my approach to photography is very personal and methodical. While taking photos I like to concentrate on a subject, visualize and compose it in my mind before I take out my camera. If taken seriously, this mental effort doesn’t tolerate any distractions – whether it is a discussion, loud noise or even a telephone conversation.
Not only did we walk around, climbing some rocks to find a different perspective, but also worked hard to eliminate “waste” from the frame. In most cases, it requires walking back and forth (we shoot primes only), sometimes repeatedly to make the right decision. I don’t press the shutter button until I am confident this is the photo I want to capture.
And here are the results.
Here is my favourite image “Man with dogs.”
How about a little bit of colour?
© Olaf Sztaba Photography. All rights reserved.
Maravillosas fotografías. Te encontré buscando información sobre el sistema X de Fuji. Una gran sensibilidad la tuya. Inspiradora. Gracias desde Argentina
Gracias,
Olaf
Serenity. That’s what keeps coming to mind with these photographs. The thoughtful and dedicated approach to composition that you describe really paid off. Really effective composition. The Man with dogs is very engaging, but for me the one above that is mesmerizing.
I also feel the editing choices were well made. You could easily have aimed at more contrast and made very engaging photographs, but whatever you did (and I’d love to her more about it) creates such a powerful mood.
I am certain that all of these would look beautiful in large prints.
(Of course, you do know that the Fuji’s are only for street photography, right? You need to read some blogs out there, and stop using these cameras and lenses in the creation of other photographic art…)
🙂
Stephen,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
Olaf
awesome, did you use xf 14mm, always?
For the majority of images. It is my favourite landscape lens.
Thanks for visiting.
Olaf
Hi Olaf . I always enjoy your work. Thx for posting such nice images telling us how great fuji images can be. How did you do your focusing? Did you always focus spot to particular point of interest or you used hyperfocal focusing technique? I know the 14 has dof scale for that.
You make art seem so easy Olaf! Always enjoy your masterpieces 🙂
Gerald,
It is always great to hear from you. Thanks.
Olaf
Beautiful images and very delicate and refined processing.
Thanks for posting these, they are an inspiration to make the trip from Vancouver island.
Chris
Chris,
Thank you for your kind comments. Have a great trip.
Olaf
Wonderful images and processing. Very impressed and keen to visit. Thanks for posting them.
Awesome. Many of our guests here at Breakers compare our coastline to Oregon and having not seen it for myself I can now see why through your beautiful photographs. Very reministant of the section right by us with the rocky outcrops. Stunning – thanks for sharing. Totally agree too, always more dramatic on a stormy day.
Bizarre and spectacular!
Thank you, Sally.