With a tidal range of up to eight metres and vast expanses of flat sand, the North Wales coast boasts some truly impressive changes in appearance due to the fast moving water.
Ideal circumstances for a time lapse video then, especially when the tide movement coincides with sunset and dusk.
Which is why my wife Liz and I were parked up at the end of the promenade at Colwyn Bay on a beautiful evening in late April 2018, taking in the evening sun and looking out over the enormous beach which was slowly being covered over by the incoming tide.
Keeping us company were a few beach anglers who had to keep retreating back up the beach as the rising sea threatened to engulf them, which added a bit of human interest to my time lapse shoot.
It wasn't long before the sun set behind me, throwing the landscape and sea into shadow as the waters reached the boulders of the sea defences in the far distance.
I kept on filming as the scene grew darker and darker and the incoming tide swept ever closer to my perch until the waves pretty much filled my camera's viewfinder.
Finally time to go home, tired but happy at having witnessed such a dynamic and lovely scene.
Filename - colwyn bay tide timelapse 01.mp4
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 28mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 3.2 sec @ f4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 10 secs @ f4, ISO6400
Filters - 10 stop neutral density filter used to slow the exposure and blur the wave movement. 2 stop neutral density graduated filter used to balance the exposure between sky and land.
Shooting interval - 10 seconds
Location - Colwyn Bay, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps
Clip duration - 26 seconds
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