Since moving to West Sussex last autumn we’ve visited the coast quite a few times – in fact I’m losing count. But the bizarre thing is that on every occasion, up until this visit, we must have managed to hit the coast at or near high tide. So it was an immense surprise on this latest occasion to find the sea had disappeared – well not quite, but it had gone a very long way out leaving behind a vast expanse of gently sloping beach. It was one of those moments when you stand still and gasp and take a little while to take it in. And the next thought was: I need Tide Tables on my iPhone
It was a pleasantly warm day, there was a haziness to the air that softened the horizon and there were a few people – like dots – walking the tide line. I had my go-to lens on the camera (18-250mm Sigma zoom) and so I stretched that out to the maximum (that’s 375mm film equivalent) and started shooting. And this is the shot that I liked the most. A couple and their dog.
So much is revealed when the tide goes out and I saw a wealth of potential images. We will be back, I can confidently predict, when the tide is out, quite often.
What a beautiful, timeless image you’ve captured! It encapsulates so many of my own rich memories of time spent near the ocean …
Thank you so much Heather. It’s an unexpected bonus when our own images evoke a memory, or resonate, with a viewer.
Even though the figures are small in the frame they certainly provide a great deal of interest. Nice work.
Thanks Ken – I think it’s an example of the concept that the centre of interest in an image doesn’t have to be large or dominant – merely in an appropriate place in the frame
Although our beaches are narrower, this is very much like what you’d see at Galveston, after a strong winter storm, with its north winds, has blown through. It’s when people like to go shelling — you can get out to the places where the shells collect, then.
I very much like the image. Without the people, it could tend toward “boring.” Much closer to the people, and you’d risk losing the panoramic sense. It’s just a lovely photo.
Thank you Linda. It’s what I might term a minimalist image except for those tiny figures that might seem an afterthought but are where are eyes finally rest as they move across the frame.
Love the composition, Andy…. great foreground, and great placement of those figures. Look forward to more beachscapes in future!
Thanks Sue. This was taken at Goring (just west of Worthing). We went down Sea Lane to the cafe at the end there thinking we might have lunch there, but the place was crowded and the prospect of sitting outside and being mobbed and robbed by seagulls didn’t hold much appeal. So we went a bit down the coast to the East Beach Cafe and watched someone else’s lunch being scrutinised from above. (see ‘Lunch is at Risk’ – my last post)
‘People on the Beach’ images are hard to beat. I like it.
Thank you – I agree, no two are quite the same
Such a lovely scene! Superb photo Andy!
Thanks Adrian. I didn’t have to wait long for this. There’s such a lovely quality to the light at the seaside
Lovely shot. The solitary figures really give a sense of proportion.
I’ve just got a Tide Tables App planned for the iPhone and will upload it later – then I can schedule trips to the coast for more low tide experiences.
Shall have to find one of those for myself.
Well, Worthing or Goring would be good places to start
No matter how many times I visit the coast, there are always great things to shoot especially when the tide is out. Terrific shot Andy.
Now that I have Tide Tables on my iPhone I will be planning visits when the tide is ‘out’.