After a beautiful morning near Bruinisse, I drove to Burgh-Haamstede a week later. Along the coast of Schouwen-Duiveland, I found exactly what I had been hoping for: wide dunes, a quiet beach and the soft light of an approaching sunset.
An evening with a golden edge
The marram grass turned golden yellow as the sun slowly descended. The wind moved through the dunes, and every now and then I could feel it in my hair. Apart from that, there was mostly silence. Occasionally, I pressed the remote, checked my composition and made sure everything was sharp. For a while, nothing else mattered.
The Dutch coast, and especially the Zeeland coastline, is beautiful. There were very few people on the beach that evening, which made the experience feel even more personal. These are the moments when I can truly slow down and breathe.
A simple but strong composition
The composition was simple, but I believe it was strong. From the lower-left corner, the dunes and golden marram grass lead towards the upper-right part of the frame. The beach runs parallel to them, with the sea beyond.
In the distance, a line of wooden poles extends from the beach into the sea, breaking the waves. Above the landscape, the clouds showed plenty of structure and contrast. Far out at sea, a heavy autumn shower was moving across the horizon. Behind me and to the left, the sun slowly sank, casting soft light across the entire scene.
Going out alone
It was quite an exciting evening. For the first time in years, I went out alone from home to photograph a sunset. It was a fairly long drive, and my back is still not completely well. Even so, I needed this mentally.
The drive home was difficult and exhausting. In the days that followed, I was completely worn out. Still, it was worth it. A week later, I tried another evening near Ouddorp. That location was busy and chaotic. It reminded me once again how limited my energy is and how strongly that affects me both physically and mentally.
I continue to live with several chronic conditions. An evening like this at Burgh-Haamstede is therefore not something I can take for granted. It is a rare moment, and I need to be honest about that with myself and with others.
The beginning of a new series
This is the first photograph and blog post in a series of two. Some evenings have more to offer than just one beautiful landscape photograph. Sometimes the journey, the effort and the feeling afterwards are part of the story too.
Taking a moment of the coast home
The images from this series are available as photographic prints or digital files. They offer a way to keep a small part of the calm, golden marram grass and Zeeland coast close to home.
View more photos via the link, which, like this one, are part of my portfolio ‘Coast’.