Bandon

I recently took a weekend scouting trip to Bandon, a small coastal community on the southern coast of Oregon. With only about 3000 full time residents, it’s exactly what you would imagine a small coastal community to be.  It has a picturesque fishing port, tons of local history, all the basic amenities and services, a vibrant (small) downtown area with great restaurants and shops, plenty of lodging, and drop dead gorgeous beaches with a huge population of sea stacks.  It’s located about 4 ½ hours from Portland, or 90 miles North of the California border

Not having been there before I did a little research on the area, but I still was walking into an unknown area, hoping to come home with decent images. Since I didn’t have any pre-visualized images and was open to shooting whatever presented itself, I brought my entire arsenal of lenses, from 16mm to 500mm. Let me tell you, this can be a very productive area for shooting!!

Regardless of which type of photography you’re in to, you’ll find something to shoot in Bandon.  During sunset and sunrise, I shot wide sweeping landscapes of the shoreline and sea stacks.  While the light was still soft in the morning, I shot macros and intimate nature images, closely followed by some iconic shots of the Coquille Lighthouse.  A couple miles from town is Bandon Marsh, which is a fantastic location for shooting birds.  I spent several hours stalking blue herons, sand pipers and geese with the big lens.  Off Coquille point, near Elephant Rock, I photographed seals and seal pups, cormorants and puffins.  And when the light got harsh, I spent lazy afternoons along the beach watching the surf fisherman, hunting for agates or just admiring the scenery.    

I highly recommend a trip to this wonderful little coastal community, you will not be disappointed you made the trip!