added to the vibrancy of the last leaves hanging on at branches end, waiting to be swept away by the slightest breeze. I drove north from downtown Bellingham, WA along Marine Drive. In my mind I vigorously sift through my best location options for what I anticipate to be a exquisite sunset. North Squalicum beach was going to be my last minute destination decision. I had been to this beach a half dozen times prior, but never to photograph. Hiking down a steep slope I quickly arrive on a wide open sand beach stretching as far as the eye can see in either direction. To my left I can see the south side of Bellingham know as Fairhaven, one of the original European settlements on the bay. Immediately behind Fairhaven, the lingering Chuckanut Mountains, rise above town connecting the North
Cascades to the Puget Sound. Far in the distance to the right is the Nooksack river estuary and the Lummi Peninsula, home to the Lummi Nation, a Coast Salish tribe.Driftwood strewn throughout the entire view creates shapes and line in sharp contrast to the vast openness of the shoreline. Walking north along the
beach my attention is drawn to what seems to be an odd placed structure far in the distance. Picking up the pace as the sun nears the horizon I start to distinguish these objects. Previous visitors to the beach had placed large driftwood pieces upside down in a vertical pattern, buried into the sand at the base for support with most of them stretching 10-15 feet into the air. For me, seeing this conjured up feelings of being in the skeleton of an old abandoned mine or mill building that is slowly being deteriorated by time.I find a protected spot to unpack my gear and set up. For
this scene I undoubtedly use my Canon 20d camera body with a Canon 17-35L f/4, as its wide angle is going to allow me to bring more of the sky, water and foliage into the image. In addition to this I am using a Bogen tripod and ball head for support, this give me the opportunity to capture the long exposure images at a much greater depth of clarity.By now the setting sun was skirting along the hills of Lummi Island threatening to fall away. The puffy clouds overhead were being illuminated
from below through a break along the horizon, letting the sun throw radiant hues of golden sunlight upon everything. I would stay here for the next hour enjoying the fading light and the changing sky, photographing this odd structure in the sand and being ever so thankful for my opportunities.
