366 Days of 2012, Day 354 - Sand Waves

I love the beach and would find it hard to live anywhere it was not easily accessible.

During sunset most people stare out to the horizon to watch the setting sun but how many use the opportunity to watch the beach itself as it becomes alive with contrast and texture.
Beach sand is never flat above the high tide mark and rarely below it. Feet trod patterns becoming indistinct as new overlay old. The wind whips up sand spirits to smooth out the bumps. Beautiful waves form as the wind eddies around rocks.

All these beautiful features are visually flat and hidden in either the hard or soft overhead light during daylight. However in that last half hour before sunset when the sun casts its golden light from the horizon, every bump, every ripple, every nuance and every grain comes dramatically but briefly to life before fading again in the twilight.


Photo: Robert Rath, '366 Days of 2012, Day 354 - Sand Waves'. 10s f/22 ISO160 40mm