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Sand ripples #3

Ripples in the sand, Aberffraw, Anglesey

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The story behind this image

This is the beach at Aberffraw on the south west coast of Anglesey.

The beach is particularly large and flat and backed by an extensive dune system and is one of the windiest places on Anglesey.

Wind on a beach can be a mixed blessing for a photographer, especially one with a digital SLR, as the blown sand gets everywhere and changing a lens is fraught with danger.

However, wind on a beach can also result in some amazing patterns in the sand, as the moving grains catch on slight protuberances and build up into visible ridges and patterns.

That's what caught my attention at Aberffraw on the windy day this photo was taken, with the blown sand forming these beautiful snaking lines leading to the horizon.

A bit of nifty lens changing while shielding the camera with my coat and a wide angle lens pointed downwards soon made the most of exaggerating the patterns as they disappeared into the distance.

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Image data


Filename - sand ripples 03.jpg

Camera - Canon 5D

Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm

Exposure - 1/40sec @ f11, ISO100

Location - Aberffraw, Anglesey

This image - 640x800px JPEG

Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2

Comments - ND grad filter used to balance exposure.