My love affair with Cannon Beach began when I first visited it in 1999. I was living in Colorado at that time. Something told me then that one day I’d move to Portland to be closer to Cannon Beach. Twenty-three years and multiple visits to Oregon later, I did move to Portland this past summer, and yes, Cannon Beach was one of the prime reasons!

There was a great glow in the sky on this day in late October. It was cloudy, and light diffused beautifully and evenly. From a photography standpoint, one couldn’t ask for better conditions. I knew I didn’t want to shoot the most popular tourist attraction in Cannon Beach - the famous Haystack Rock. As majestic as it is, Haystack Rock has been utterly overdone.

And so I separated myself from the beach area, hoping I’d get inspired by something new. As I approached the northern edge of the beach, I found myself near Ecola Creek and noticed dozens of Seagulls lounging around. I knew I had found the inspiration I was looking for! I planted near the creek for the next couple of hours and must have clicked dozens of photos. In the end, I came out with just a handful of winners.

Note: These are some of the first images I made with my brand-new Hasselblad X2D 100C camera. The image quality is truly breathtaking. 100 Megapixels give you much freedom to fine-tune a final composition later on. However, accurate focusing is super-critical with this camera.