Casting Golden shadows

December 10th, a bitterly cold afternoon and an early dart from work had led me to Thurstaston beach on what started out as more of a walk than a Photography session. But as somebody who hates to miss an opportunity I try to carry my camera kit everywhere just incase. I’d walked about 3 miles this afternoon from Westkirby, and as the clock ticked closer to sunset time the clouds had begun to gather on the horizon, and some really interesting colours and patterns had started to occur. There was a strong wind on this particular day and as the tide was receding conditions can only be described as very cold and really quite wild. It was around 4.30 and I had now ended up on Thurstaston beach just at the base of the slope by the Dee sailing club. Due to the excessive amounts of rain we had been experiencing the overflow from the land which exits onto the beach was now in full flow and with huge amounts of running water crashing through the rocks towards the sea I had decided to try for a long exposure shot as the sun set.
Setting up my tripod at its widest possible setting I had to make sure i kept the camera as stil as possible as it sat right down low in and amongst the fast flowing cascade. My idea was to catch the golden sun rays that were rebounding off the water as it crashed through the rocks and debris that lay on the beach. The wind also played a huge part this afternoon so getting my settings right was going to have to be paramount. With the appropriate filter selected and put in place I was now really looking forward to what I could come up with in these less than ideal conditions. Over the next fifteen minutes the sun dipped amongst the clouds and the colours that were produced were fantastic. The fast flowing water had really added some beautiful character to the image and the rocks on the beach had really helped in creating some fantastic shadows for the light to bounce in and out of.
Looking back at this image and I honestly thought at the time that what I had in mind was nigh on impossible. The wind, the running water, the cold and everything seemed to be against me for creating the picture I had in mind, but it just goes to show that with the right equipment and the correct settings these modern day cameras really are quite capable of all sorts?

There is in my opinion no finer place to be than at one with nature, watching as the colours of a spectacular sunrise are projected into the skies around me and listening to the dawn chorus as all the beautiful wildlife starts to wake.

It’s mornings like these that my love for this fantastic pastime grows ever stronger.