LONG BEACH – We are constanly surrounded by it. We hear it in our sleep, and we see it in our dreams. We drive and walk past the crashing surf and picturesque skies everyday, and often, we take tor granted the natural beauty of our natural surroundings.

After a long day of rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife, nature videographer Craig Sparks likes to unwind with the serene coastal images and music he and his wife Marsha put together in two 30-minute videos, “Pacific Visions II” and “Cape Disappointment: Cape of Storms.”

PVII is the second in a series by the Sparks’ film company, Nature Filmworks, highlighting the Pacific Northwest Coast. The video is packed with silhouettes and sunsets, thundering waterfalls and quiet creeks, wildlife and wild ocean scenes, all set to the sounds of electric harmony of a synthesizer.

The video is the second in the series, and the first the Sparks’ have done since splitting from Rain or Shine Filmworks. The original “Pacific Visions,” released in 2002, was a collaborative effort with other local nature enthusiasts and a bit more rough around the edges than the second effort, PVII.

“It takes time,” Craig Sparks explained. “There is a lot of waiting for the perfect light or movement from the wind or tide. I can get a pretty good idea of what conditions are going to be like by watching the internet.”

Weather conditions reported by bouys off shore are posted in various locations on the Interenet. Sparks watches the reports for the perfect combination of elements to capture the best video footage. Even with research and experience, Sparks claims many more hours that go into each video.

“We normally use a filming ratio of about 60-1, that is, for every 60 minutes of filming we might be able to use one minute of tape in the film.” said Sparks.

“Cape Disappointment: Cape of Storms,” or “Cape D” as the filmakers call it, was shot completely at one location and centers more on the sometimes violent and other times soothing waters near the mouth of the Columbia River.

Watching this half-hour journey through the sky and sea, the viewer is transported back in time to a place with no sign of human life. Only the waves, sky and the occasional seabird are seen with the elegant musical accompaniment. There are great time-lapse elements to this video involving clouds that seem to rush across the yellow-orange evening sky only to fade away and reinvent themselves again.

There is some great footage of waves at night that Sparks explained took patience to get.

“Night shots are possible if there is a bright moon,” said Sparks. “Trying to get big surf, clear weather and a full moon all at the same time is a pretty tall order.”

All in all, these videos are two good representations of the scenery found on the Pacific Northwest coastline and especially the Long Beach Peninsula. For anyone who lives here or visits here, or even if you just like to watch the waves at sunset for relaxation, both of these videos are excellent. They can be viewed over and over again and never lose their appeal.

VHS or DVD copies of “Pacific Visions I and II” and “Cape Disappointment: Cape of Storms,” can be purchased at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Ilwaco, the Ark Restaurant in Nachotta , Sweet Williams in Ocean Park, the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria or from the Wildlife Center for $20. Proceeds of the sale of the videos go toward wildlife rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center.