P#36: A Bird's Eye View of Monkey Face Rock at Smith Rock State Park
Ed Cooper captures a busy day at Smith Rock State Park
The sheer challenge of Monkey Face Rock at Smith Rock State Park isn't evident in every photograph taken of the place. Ed Cooper, however, manages to show us exactly how magnificent this rock really is and how challenging it can be to the climbers who brave it.
The More the Merrier
Ed Cooper: This photograph was taken at Monkey Face Rock in Oregon at the Smith Rock State Park. You can see there are at least 10 climbers in this image. I showed this to a climber from Portland, a member of the Mazamas. He thought, "Gee, what next? Are they going to build a McDonalds on top of this thing?" (click the image for a larger version)
I shot this photograph this year. It was in May. I picked a Sunday to go there, knowing that there'd be a lot of climbers. Normally I don't like to go when they're crowded, but in this particular case I did because I wanted to get pictures of climbers on it. I sure succeeded.
Everything about this image came out perfect. You can even see Mount Jefferson in the distance -- you just barely make it out to the left of Monkey Face. It's just a great rock climbing shot.
In Conclusion
When Ed Cooper takes mountain photographs, he usually tries to avoid the crowds. This photograph taken at Smith Rock State Park goes to show you that breaking your own rules can sometimes result in great rewards.
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