Another strike off the Ol' Bucket List

In my usual style of dragging things out . . . the following is a continuation of our camping trip from a couple weeks back.  However, it is also another accomplishment when it comes to my 2013 Photography Bucket List.  I did have to tweak it a little bit...but as far as I am concerned, it still counts.

2013 PHOTOGRAPHY BUCKET LIST

1. Sunset at Seaside {The Coast}

2. Twin babies
3. Las Vegas Strip
4. A beautiful waterfall (other than Multnomah Falls)
5. 1st birthday session
6. Downtown Seattle/Puget Sound
7. Timberline Lodge
8. City lights at night
9. A cactus
10. An engagement session
11. An extravagant themed photo
12. My new nephew
13. Jumping shot
14. A pier
15. Street photography
16. A series of old cars
17. A series of vintage signs
18. Golden Gate Bridge
19. Generations
20. Music

When we left to go camping, I realized that it was likely going to be my last chance to catch a sunset at the beach.  Even though it wasn't in Seaside, it may as well have been.  We were only about 30 miles south and really my intent when writing the bucket list was just to get an ocean sunset - I just thought I would only have an opportunity in Seaside.

I want to start a little bit before the sunset really began.....because I love beach pictures and if you don't, I want to convince you...

Need more convincing?  'Cause I have plenty more evidence of the beauty of the ocean shores...

HERE COMES THE SUN!

I did a lot of playing around with my camera settings as the sun set . . . so some pictures are a lot darker, or have a lot more color, than others.  Which one is best?  It is all about your preference and what appeals to YOUR eye.

From the time the sun sat just above the horizon, until it sank completely out of sight, there was only a 4 minute time lapse.  It is amazing how long it can take for the sun to get to the "edge of the earth", but how quickly it disappears.

{For tips on photographing the sunrise/sunset, check out last month's In Focus Friday}

If you are out taking pictures of the sunset, make sure you stick around for a little bit once it goes down. The sky is often even more photographic after the sun is gone.

Finally, this week's B&W Wednesday:

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As of 10 am (PST) I will be getting my 2 seconds of fame over at Rhyme & Ribbons, with a highlight of Amanda's sponsor for September. I was fortunate enough to win the ad space through the Aloha Blog Hop for August!

This Weekend I . . . *Crabbing Edition*

If you ever visit the Oregon coast, you have to go crabbing.  We took my brothers a couple of years ago, but I didn't get a license and just watched instead.  So when we decided to go this weekend while camping at the coast, I was pretty excited to try it myself.

Tips for Going Crabbing:
1. Bring (or buy) gloves!  There is a particular way that you pick up the crab to avoid getting pinched, but even if you do it right, they might get you!  Tristan and his cousin told me "Their legs will poke at you but it won't hurt...if you pick them up from the back, their pinchers won't get you."  WRONG!  On the very first pot that I pulled up and attempted to empty, one got me!

It's no joke...that thing hurt!  And they will draw blood.  Knowing that pain, I was too nervous to pick them up from then on.  I still continued to pull up the pots, but I made the boys clear them.

2. When bringing in the pots, pull them up quickly to prevent any captured crabs from swimming out on the way to the surface.

This is another reason to have gloves.  After a few hours of tugging on these ropes to pull in the pots, especially with the current, your hands really begin to hurt and it becomes difficult to grip the rope at all.  My hands still feel a little raw and sore.

3. Wear sunscreen!  When packing for camping, I wasn't anticipating too beautiful of weather.  After all, we were headed to the coast.  But it ended up being a perfectly clear day when we were down on the docks.  Plus, the sun will reflect off the water, intensifying the rays and increasing your chance of getting a sunburn.  My neck is starting to blister a little today because it got so burnt!  Hopefully it will turn to a tan...

4. Pack your chairs.  The dock has a tendency to have "guts" from the fish that is used as bait, and I wouldn't advise sitting on it.

5. Focus on the larger crabs. When crabbing, you are only able to keep the male crabs, and they must meet the minimum size requirement. Once we pulled up a pot, we would quickly scan it to see if there were any big enough to possibly keep. When the pot hits the dock, they crabs will start trying to escape and make their way back to the water. You want to make sure that you grab any possible keepers before the crab-walk right off the dock.

We had 6 pots between the six of us....and after three hours, only got this one keeper!  Many people were a lot more successful than we were.

Jetty Fishery is a great place to go crabbing...they sell the shellfish license, rent you the rings, sell you bait, and cook the crab that you catch, free of charge.  You can also purchase other seafood, drinks, and other supplies in their store.

 There will be more from our camping adventures later in the week...Goodnight!!