The seaside town of Rhyl, once the poor relation of north Wales coastal resorts, has enjoyed something of a renaissance over the past few years, with a refurbished promenade and new developments replacing the old, somewhat tacky, attactions.
But it's not the tourist attractions that interest me.
Instead, I'm drawn to the huge beach with its decaying lines of wooden groynes, pointing out towards the Irish Sea and to the turbines of the Gwynt-y-Môr offshore wind farm which adorn the horizon.
During the summer months, being north facing, the beach at Rhyl is a great place to enjoy a colourful sunset over the turbines, which is why my wife Liz and I will often come here in after tea for a bracing stroll along the swanky new promenade, followed by a photographic session, hoping for a dramatic sunset.
On this particular evening at the beginning of August 2023 we were treated to some lovely cloud action as the sun sank towards the horizon, with delicate formations of high altitude cirrus catching the warm light of the setting sun, while lower down in the atomsphere a band of darker cloud blanketed the horizon, providing a dramatic contrast across the evening sky.
So although there was no actual sunset to be seen on this occasion, the play of light through the heavens above was just entrancing to watch, and this time lapse video gives a flavour of the beauty that we enjoyed from Rhyl seafront that evening.
Filename - rhyl sunset timelapse 07
Camera - Canon EOS 6DMK2
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 67mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 1/1600 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 1/50 sec @ f/4, ISO100
Filters - 2/3 stop neutral density reverse graduated filter used to reduce the brightness of the sky above the horizon.
Music - Blizzards - Riot
Shooting interval - 4 seconds
Location - Rhyl, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K and HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 33 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2023 unless otherwise stated.