The Heceta Head lighthouse, one of the most iconic landmarks on the Oregon coast, is one of my favorite spots to photograph the Pacific Ocean. With the advent of digital cameras that perform well in low-light conditions, I felt inspired to attempt a night shot from a highway viewpoint located south of the lighthouse. My goal was to capture the beam of light from the lighthouse as it shone through the ocean mist.
As I traveled to the central Oregon coast, the weather forecast was uncertain regarding cloud conditions and whether the right amount of mist would be present. Fortunately, the weather turned out as I had hoped, allowing me to see both the light shining through the low-lying mist and a sky filled with stars.
The lighthouse features a rapid light beam pattern that sends light in two directions simultaneously. The darkness along this stretch of coast required me to push my camera to its limits to illuminate the foreground properly while also capturing plenty of stars, which I achieved with a very high ISO setting of 10,000 and an exposure time of 8 seconds. Since I was shooting toward the northwest, I knew I wouldn’t be able to capture the Milky Way, so I focused on capturing as many stars as possible.
The scene presented several challenges, as various elements were moving in different directions and at different speeds. However, the long exposure allowed the lighthouse beam to sweep across the mist, creating a striking visual effect.
To reduce digital noise, I used astrophotography software (DeepSkyStacker) to help minimize noise and Topaz Photo AI to further enhance the image. I found that this software significantly improved the detail in both the foreground and the sky.
