Minor White's Wall
So, I had heard about this place called Minor White's Wall from a few others who had been there and seen a few of the images they made while there. However, I didn't really have a good sense of what this place was, and a Google search doesn't really bring up a whole lot of information about it. I knew the place was named for Minor White, an influential photographer, writer, and educator, who lived and photographed the Oregon landscape and people from the 1930s until his death in 1976. Some of his most popular work included abstract subject matter, demonstrating his masterful use of light and shadow to give a strong visual (and perhaps visceral) sense to the subject of the photograph.
It seems that Minor White believed that there is more to photography than just making a pretty picture. In fact, he was known for saying that one should photograph things not only for what they are, but for what else they are. I had heard stories that Minor White taught workshops at this location, bringing students here for a week at a time to develop a unique vision of the world around them. Clambering around this bluff with the crashing waves of the Pacific below; sandstone rock formations tortured by powerful geological forces to create unique shapes, patterns, and textures; we had but a brief time to see and to photograph that 'what else'.
Overview of Minor White's Wall
Minor White's Wall is part of Shore Acres State Park, located about 13 miles southwest of Coos Bay. Shore Acres actually began as a private estate in the early 1900s. Pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson developed the area, building a large mansion and luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world. The State of Oregon purchased Shore Acres in 1942 for use as a public park. The botanical gardens are well-kept, with a wide variety of flowers and shrubs. This was a good opportunity to break out the macro lens for the camera for some close-up images.
This was another unique and very worth-while stop along the Oregon coast. Hope you enjoyed looking at the images as much as I did making them!