Heceta Head Lighthouse at Dusk

The Oregon coast does moody better than anywhere else.

I had been driving Highway 101 for three days, chasing fog and dramatic skies. Most of the trip delivered gray on gray. Flat light, flat water, the kind of conditions that make you question why you packed all this camera gear. Then I pulled into Heceta Head.

Heceta Head Lighthouse has been guiding ships since 1894. It sits 205 feet above the Pacific on a headland that juts into some of the most treacherous waters on the West Coast. The light is still active, visible 21 miles out to sea. One of the most photographed lighthouses in the country, and for good reason.

I hiked up to the viewpoint above the lighthouse in late afternoon. Clouds were thick but breaking up in places, that Oregon coast weather that changes every twenty minutes. I set up and waited.

The light came on right at dusk. That warm glow against the gray sky and gray sea stopped me mid-adjustment. The forested headland behind, the red-roofed keeper's houses below, Cape Creek Bridge arching across the cove in the distance. Everything fell into place.

I shot handheld at first, then switched to the tripod as the light faded. The exposure balance was tricky. That lantern room wanted to blow out while the surrounding landscape went dark. I bracketed several frames to make sure I could blend them later if needed.

The final light was better than anything I had captured in the previous three days combined. Sometimes you just need to outlast the weather.