Essential Books for Travel Photography in Oregon
Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, is one of the most popular travel destinations for photographers.
The entire Pacific Northwest is known for it’s variety of incredible scenery.
Between the rocky, forested coast and the snow covered mountain ranges you’ll find farmland like the Palouse, wine country, rivers nearly everywhere, small towns and the wonderful larger cities of Seattle and Portland.
That is just listing a few spots you will want to visit. You could easily spend a month here and barely scratch the surface of all there is to see.
As I type, I keep thinking of others stops you will want to make when you get here. Indeed, there is something for every interest. For today we will talk about Oregon, and since Oregon itself holds so much natural beauty, we will stick to the coast in this article.
I’ve written about one of my trips down the coast that you can read here.
The coast here in Oregon offers some areas that are popular to sun bathing, some that have delightful little downtown areas to explore, sand dunes, and magnificent cliffs and forests that are right above or next to the shore with waves breaking on enormous rock formations you can walk right up to.
The many sights you won’t want to miss are the reason for these two wonderful books. No doubt there are more, but we used these two the whole trip.
The first book that is essential is the travel guide that literally goes mile by mile along the coast.
I wrote about this wonderful guide here.
On our trip it was necessary. When you are looking for certain places, some of which are obscure turn-offs, it helps to know exactly where it is. With our travel guide we not only knew when we were getting close, we also learned what else was in the area that we wouldn’t want to miss.
I’d highly suggest one of these guides for any area you are traveling by car. Our states are all filled with remarkable parks, museums, scenic routes and more. If you don’t live here, there are things you won’t want to miss. If you do live here, I bet you will be surprised at the day trips or weekend getaways you might find within the guides covers.
The second book is The Photographer’s Guide to the Oregon Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
Whether you photograph with your iPhone or have a high end camera with multiple lens and gadgets, it is very helpful to know how to get to the best spots. This little book will give you that. It has suggestions for the best locations and views. Some of the lighthouses for instance, might be better photographed an exit past the turnoff that takes you to the lighthouse itself. Many of the coves can be shot from multiple sites.
The photographer’s guide will even give you ideas of what to shoot in varying weather conditions. Added to the Mile by Mile guide it was invaluable to the photographer traveling with us on our trip. With it, we didn’t miss any of the prime locations. She knew exactly where she wanted to stop and when.
Even if you aren’t a professional photographer, you’ll definitely want your camera with you for a trip to our state. You will find the book so useful. With over seventy state parks on or near the coast, waterfalls you can hike to, the ocean steps away, and pristine redwood forests, it is easy to spend hours trying to get the shot you want. When a hike it called for, there is so much to photograph even enroute.
Between these two books, you will surely get the most out of your drive down the 350-plus miles along the coast. Take as long as you are able to enjoy it. If you’re like me, you will wanting to do it all over again once you’ve finished it.
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