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This morning, while Marc takes Alan to a secret coastal destination for a sunrise photo shoot, I blissfully sleep in.

Alan meets Marc at a state park where they don headlamps and scurry beneath dense vegetation before scrambling down a steep slope to a narrow ledge overlooking the Pacific Ocean far below. Their destination? The cauldron.

“If I had seen the trail in the daylight, I might have declined,” Alan says.

They continue their journey, finally reaching the rocky shore. Alan makes it safely down only to slip on a rocky tidal pool meaning he spends the morning shoot in wet clothes. Luckily, his camera suffers no damage.

From viewing the photos that Alan took, I can see the trip was worth it. Unfortunately, he is shooting in RAW format so no photos on the blog for now.

I join Marc and Alan for the afternoon shoot. We travel south beyond Newport until we reach Seal Rock Beach. The long wide swath of sand is guarded by basalt rock outcroppings, evidence of a volcanic past.

While Marc instructs Alan on the finer points of capturing wave action, I walk the beach until I come to a large tidal pool. Perching on a rock, I practice taking my own water shots while watching beachcombers search for treasures at the water’s edge. The surf pounds on the rocks occasionally crashing over their sharp, black tops.

After a late lunch, we head south through Yachats and on to Strawberry Hill for a sunset shoot. I am relieved to see a well-worn trail leading to cliffs that overlook the sea. But, we turn left off the path to make our way down the cliff’s edge to the rocky shore. Once again, I’m challenged by my fear of heights but with Alan’s steady hand and my eyes averted to the cliff wall, I make it down.

There is no sand on this beach, only rocks. Marc is famous for his shots of the rocks as the tide rushes over them in the fading sunlight. A successful shot portrays bursts of light where the water hits the rocks.

We walk the beach, stepping from rock to rock, looking for just the right spot. It’s quite a challenge walking from one rock to another without turning an ankle. I leave Marc and Alan to their lesson and practice my own shots.

Sitting on a large tree trunk, I wait for the sunset. When the water rushes over the rock-lined beach, the rocks brush against each other making a noise like a line of dominoes falling against each other one by one. The click, click, click repeats with the tide’s ebb and flow. The late afternoon sun warms the cliff behind me and I’m lost in a peaceful sunset.

To read about arranging a one-on-one photo workshop, visit this page at my blog about baby boomer travel, My Itchy Travel Feet .

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