Limpets and Barnacles in Evening Glow

I found these impressive barnacle-covered rocks as the light faded on my last evening, leaving little time for reflection. Like the dried seaweed, the barnacles (along with the scattered limpets and periwinkles) provide a welcome light tone in the landscape, reflecting the soft colours of the elusive afterglow. This is not only one of the last, but in my view one of the best photographs of the week on this beautiful beach. It also highlights the strange experience of photographing the northern summer, where the intense concentration of photography is only sustained at the most extreme hours, either near 4am or as here, 10pm, and the rest of the day is spent on holiday in the relative normality of daylight. Being able to return to bed after witnessing the transformations of sunrise and sunset makes the experience seem intangible and distant, and it is only photographs like this that provide any real proof. June 2009.