Moondance

Haystack Rock | Oregon Coast
Haystack Rock looms out of the Oregon coast water, in moonlight and stars photography. The low tide opens up the sandy beach line and creates a reflective surface, due to the moisture of the slow receding water. The small waves gently dance back and forth in a leisurely pace under the bright light of the moon. Everything seems to be in slow motion. The moon, the stars, the light, the ocean. However, one object remains in this fine art nature scene. It is the pointy rock in the middle of it all.

I came to the Haystack Rock coastline with much hope of doing sunset photography. This was my second evening in a row. The night prior was filled with dense clouds and there was no sunset to be seen or photographed. There was not even any warm color in the distant horizon, because the sunlight was completely blocked.

However, on the second evening there was hope. The sky was clear and there were just a few lingering clouds above the water horizon. I set out to get in the right position, so that the setting sun, the clouds, the rock formations would all be in my view. Despite all my hope, the sunset turned out less than special. I waited and waited for a long time till the last remains of warm light were gone, but to no avail. As I started my long walk back along the beach I noticed that the moon had risen to a perfect position. Suddenly my plans for Haystack Rock changed, and I switched into night photography mode. The result is what you see above.

Some believe that Haystack Rock is the most visited photography place on the Oregon coast. It is easy to see why that might be the case. This 235-foot (72-meter) monolithic sea stack is enormous, beautiful and mysterious at the same time. Although there is no proof, claims exist that it may be the third tallest intertidal structure in the world. It is composed of basalt and is also joined by three smaller rock formations, known as “The Needles”.