Sights, sounds and smells of low tide

The sights, sounds and smells of low tide were everywhere when I made this photograph, and although I obviously can’t include all of the sensory experiences I had on this particular morning in a simple photograph, I like how it can bring me, personally, right back there in an instant. The waves were rocking, the wind was blowing, and the gulls were crying loudly as they searched along the freshly revealed shoreline for breakfast. The early light was somewhat subdued, the air was fast-moving yet crisp, the sounds of a coastal day just beginning were everywhere, and the temporary odor from the uncovered rocks was very strong… I wish I could engage your sense of smell with this one!

I like the lower perspective of this composition, though it took some serious scrambling across ankle-breaking round rocks to get here. That green algae on the foreground rocks is slick like ice, and unless careful, it is very easy to end up slipping and cracking an ankle, elbow, or worse. This photograph was made at 5:26am, about half an hour after the sun had risen (though it was being blocked by a large bank of heavy clouds on the horizon). An exposure of 2.5 seconds created a fairly dynamic rendition of the breaking waves, and for me, the wide angle composition really accentuates the amazing round rocks.

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