Every landscape and seascape photographer should visit Bandon, Oregon and photograph the sea stacks at least once. It’s one of those places - a rite of passage for some, a bucket list for others. I’ve visited Bandon Beach several times over the years and two things are always true – I leave with great photographs and a smile on my face.

My visit in November of 2023 was no exception. I descended one of the long staircases to the beach a little before sunrise. The tide was moderate with plenty of the beach itself exposed, though rising. So every so often the right set of waves would surge across the flat beach to encircle the smaller rocks peppered among the sand. I composed on one of those and sure enough the waves pushed past the rock, my tripod, my legs … I was drenched from the knee down, though I banked several photos I had good hopes for.

With the tide still on the rise, I chose to shift my attention to some longer lens work. I walked south on the beach toward Face Rock. Along the way, there was a break in the clouds. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for one more wide angle shot to catch the drama in the sky.

I switched over to my longer lens, reaching out to the stacks already surrounded by the ocean. A trip to Bandon Beach is not complete without a photograph the Howling Dog sea stack (some refer to it as the Wizard Hat).

The remainder of my morning on Bandon Beach was spent with Face Rock. I walked back and forth, sampling different compositions and interactions among Face Rock and the smaller stacks in front of it.

While capturing my photos, that break in the clouds proved temporary. A light rain picked up and the skies closed over to a monochromatic gray. The incoming tide also had given my legs a fresh salt water bath. I captured a few more images of Face Rock and retreated up a staircase to higher (and drier!) ground.