Evening Light at Ynyslas

I spent an afternoon which turned to dusk at Ynyslas Beach. Camera in hand, enjoying the calm energy of the sea. The tide was rising and covering up the long stretches of stone and sand, reflecting the sky. Walking along the beach, I focused on light, texture and the waves. I let the landscape guide the photograph rather than forcing compositions. Moving slowly, pausing in front of the reflections and shapes. Some of the images were shot low down, almost level with the ground, this emphasised the vastness of this coastal stretch. Before I knew it the sun had set and it was too dark for me to take any more photographs without my tripod...

Ynyslas beach at dusk, photograph, Canon 2000D.

Ynyslas has a quiet beauty, hidden behind the sea wall. Its scale and drama with the land peeking from round the coast makes it an ideal place to explore light, landscape and composition. Walking, observing, and photographing without any manipulation of the image allowed me to concentrate on what the camera and my own eyes could capture in the moment. This approach produces images which felt authentic and issue a reminder that slowing down and paying attention to small details can transform a simple walk into a visual story.

When I got home, I looked through and processed these images using Adobe Lightroom. I adjusted the light, colour etc... until reaching an edit I was happy with. I kept the edits light to preserve the natural light and movement. The soft glows and reflection in pooling water on the textured sand maintained the atmosphere of the evening without needing much more. This made the edit easier as the scenery spoke for itself.

Surfboard and helmet resting on the shore at Ynyslas, photograph, Canon 2000D.

I revisited Ynyslas to shoot the surfers. I observed them, one of them wore a Garmin watch which recorded his trail through the water, leaving a zig zagging, overlapping, unique trace. The surfers carved out the waves with their boards riding along them and paddling for the sets, while simultaneously fighting the rip on their paddle back out once they got off of the wave. There's something calming about watching them, maybe it's the same as watching fish in a tank - how they say it slows your heart rate and relieves stress? I think they call it aquarium therapy...

Surfer at Ynyslas beach with digital pathway overlay, photograph with digital drawing, Canon 2000D.