Coastal

BW photos from Washington to California

My wife and I recently completed a driving trip down the coast of Washington, Oregon and northern California. Along the way, I managed to capture some images.

My goal was to capture black and white, infrared images along the coast. To that end, I shot through a R720 infrared filter, whenever conditions allowed. I am naturally attracted to lighthouses and other human infrastructure near the water. This trip provided plenty of opportunities to make such images.

Because the IR filter cuts so much light, an infrared exposure requires up to 20 seconds and the use of a tripod. The conditions along the coast were frequently so winding, that I could not keep the camera still on the tripod for long enough to make a sharp exposure. Then I resorted to hand-held shots without an IR filter. I like the look of the long exposure IR photos better than the non-IR photos, but sometimes you can only work with the conditions that are available to you.

One aspect of using the IR filter is the shift in how black-and-white images are rendered. Sometimes it is very noticeable, particularly when there is vegetation present. Otherwise, the changes to the image are less obvious, yet still intriguing. In particular, I love the high-contrast of the IR images and the dark skies.

The images below start in Astoria and follow the Oregon coast down into northern California. The last few images where made in Port Townsend, Washington, before returning to Victoria.

NB: All images captured with a Fujifilm X-Pro3, fronted with the Fujinon XF16-55mm f/2.8 lens. In many situations, a Hoya R72 Infrared filter was attached to the front of the lens.