"As I walked through a small walkway that led to the beach promenade, the sunset on the vast North Sea horizon suddenly came into view. I'd picked a good day!"
It's hard to say just how long I have waited for an opportunity to get down to the pier to capture a sunset! Whether it is down to having the time, coordinating with the weather conditions or just feeling up to trekking out with the camera gear, something often gets in the way.
A couple of weeks ago, I had returned home from the gym and despite feeling tired, decided to venture out as the sunset looked promising.
Stepping off Tram 1, I made my way amongst holiday-makers and past buzzing bars and restaurants. As I walked through a small walkway that led to the beach promenade, the sunset on the vast North Sea horizon suddenly came into view. I'd picked a good day!
I knew whereabouts I wanted to go to take the shot, and I wanted to get in position quickly. Ambling across the sand, dodging people relaxing on the beach (it was a nice, warm summer evening), I headed to where I wanted to get to - it felt like it took ages to get there. Scheveningen beach really is quite vast and wide!
When I arrived at the water's edge and looked back towards the pier, I was delighted to have finally made it there after many weeks of waiting for the right conditions. And I was not alone; several other photographers were hovering around, also waiting for that perfect shot. One lady was taking portraits of a young guitarist against the golden backdrop.
As surfers enjoyed the warm evening and gentle waves, and the wheel on the pier gently turned once in a while, I started to take numerous photos with varying exposures and compositions. As the colours changed, I just kept seeing new opportunities. Cruise ships moored on the horizon were lit up, and seemed to match perfectly with the bright sunset "canvas" right behind them. People passed by, enjoying their holidays, with plenty of laughter and music from distant beach bars against the sound of the lapping waves at my feet (and my feet did get wet!)
As darkness finally fell and I packed up to go home, I had a feeling this shot would be amongst my favourites. The warm air, the gentle sea, the reminder that despite challenging COVID19 times, there is peace and beauty and there are places to escape to in this crazy world of ours.
If you like this photo, you can view it in my gallery, where it's available as a download or in various print options!
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