Raft Cove Beach

Raft Cove Beach is a wild, remote stretch of driftwood-strewn coastline on the northwest corner of Vancouver Island, backed by old-growth forest and open to the full force of the Pacific. The beach rewards photographers with dramatic wave action, enormous bleached logs piled along the shore, and expansive views of open ocean. Use the driftwood as foreground elements to anchor wide compositions, or find gaps in the logs to frame incoming waves and stormy skies. Overcast days are often better than bright sun here, as the soft diffused light brings out the moody greens of the forest and the deep grey-blue of the water. A wide-angle lens suits the scale of the scene well. Getting here requires a 3.5 km hike along a muddy, rooted trail, so wear waterproof boots and pack light. Bears and wolves are active in the area, so stay alert throughout. (Raft Cove, British Columbia, Canada)