La Conchita, California, December 2019
On top of the world…. or at least Fuerteventura. A few steps more and from there it’s pretty much 807 meters straight down! It was the rewarding end of a 30 kilometer hike starting at sea level in Morro Jable under the grueling midday heat.
From there it went along the beautiful Jandia beach all the way up to the summit of the highest mountain of Fuerteventura – the Pico de la Zarza, offering the most stunning panoramic view over the beach of Cofete.
ISO 100, 8s, 17mm, f/11 – Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-50mm
First day in Australia – Adelaide in the south, to be specific. The first port of call for my three weeks long trip through “Aussieland”. A dream its been for a long time. Finally the chance to make it real. Although – and I didn’t quite know what it would mean when I booked the rather lowly priced flight tickets – it’s winter in “Down Under”.
Winter in Australia? Can’t be that bad, can it? Well, turns out it isn’t but then it kind of is – Says I didn’t have unrealistic expectations like roasting on the beach and surfing the waves in the ocean. Just one thing: no rain – PLEASE!
Dublin’s farewell gift on Saturday was a wet storm that soaked you only from sprinting as fast as you can the five meters from the taxi to the entrance of terminal two – desperate stuff!
24 hours later I come to realise the weather-god (Neptune is it, right?) and I we never make friends in this life – he sent the wet storm round the globe all the way down to Adelaide. Thanks mate!
First day in South Australia. 13 degrees, the Air BnB freezing, heaters are overvalued in a city where it’s nearly always hot. Those three or four weeks were it isn’t? Tough luck.
Now, while this type of weather isn’t good for the tan, it certainly is good for producing a stunning sky. That’s exactly what I was hoping for when I went down to Seacliff Beach in the afternoon.
Boy oh boy it didn’t disappoint! The constant play between sun and rain created the most amazing sky. There were those thick layers of dark, rain filled clouds that tried to drown the sun and its warm rays – an epic fight!
To capture the emotions and create maximum drama of the scene my idea was to get some long exposures. The first image at the top is my favourite from today. A final piece of sea grass clinging on to dear life, lying still, all his friends already washed away, while rain and sun fight it out in the background. A fitting tribute to the day it was!
In the end the rain won and the sea captured the beach. The tide is merciless.
ISO 100, 4s, 17mm, f/11 – Nikon D7100, Sigma 17-50mm
There in the distance, a mix of foggy, dark red and grey clouds drifting over the hills of Skellig Bay. A sign of what is inevitably soon to arrive: The night. The moment he’s coming down the stairs. Touching the soft, smooth sand of the beach. It’s this known feeling. A feeling of home. The red coat shiny and beautiful, glittering in the setting sun. A typical Irish Setter. Excited, exuberant, bathing in the cool sea, playing with the waves. They have been here so many times before. He and his man. Every single night, for the last 8 years. Still, the magic of this place doesn’t cease to overwhelm. It’s the light. It’s the sound. It’s the Ocean.
Shoot It Now 