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Beaches are such dynamic places, constantly changing under the action of wind and tide, and as such, are places I love to visit and photograph.
This photo was taken on just such a beach at Talacre, on the North Wales coast, and benefits from most fortuitous combination of circumstances.
First of all, a particularly high tide had just receded, leaving partially filled pools on the normally dry beach. Next, the wave action that day had left a series of well defined ripples in the sand, with the tops of these mini sand dunes just poking out of the surrounding water. On top of that, there wasn't a breath of wind to disturb the lying water and break the pattern, and finally the sun was on the very cusp of disappearing over the horizon at just the right angle to pick out the peaks of these tiny sand ripples, while leaving the underlying water in shadow.
The overall effect was breathtaking, and in the couple of minutes available to me before the sun disappeared I was able to take maybe five photographs showing the patterns on the beach, of which this is my favourite.
Filename - sand ripples 02.jpg
Camera - Canon 5D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 58mm
Exposure - 1/3sec @ f16, ISO100
Location - Talacre, North Wales
This image - 640x800px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - Polarising filter used to reduce glare and enhance colours.
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