Sand Reflections

While there are times I feel that color detracts from the image, there are also times when it becomes the main focal point. The above is one such case.

The broad beach fanning north from Morro Rock was incredible as the tide receded. The sand retained enough water to reflect the light as the setting sun cast its deepening hues off the golden coastal hills.

It was amazing to see how long that reflectiveness lasted, especially since it was happening more and more beyond the edge of the waves. Regardless, the wet, rippled sand made for a rather abstract image as it contrasted with the drier portions of the beach with their still discernible undulations upon them. Adding to the contrast, the lengthening shadow from the rock loomed over the near portion of beach while the upper part was still in sunlight.

The mirror effect was captivating. It is not as captivating to me in black and white, as the adjusted image below shows.

In my mind this merely reinforces the lesson that whether color or black and white, it's the final product that matters.

Just for grins, I've included a wide-angle shot of the beach below. I am standing near the foot of Morro Rock looking north. You can see how far to the left the active wave action was occurring. They did not go beyond the middle of the image, so the sand was indeed very, very saturated.