Low tide Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Low tide mood on the wide wide beach. The vastness shared by only a few. The simple joy of walking, smelling, listening to the treasures of nature...

Le Vivier-sur-Mer is in the bay of the Mont Saint-Michel. The bay is a favourite stopping-off point for migrating sea birds. Also an internationally classified site for the conservation of many species and the most important site in France for small wading birds with around 75,000 individuals in winter. Barnacles , widgeons , curlews , and black-headed gulls can be observed.

Despite its beauty, strong tides and quicksand are ever present dangers. A giver of life, the Bay is also sometimes a taker of life and you should never venture on these beaches without knowing the times of the tides, which are among the fastest in the world.
The tidal rise -that is the difference between high and low tide- can reach up to 15 meters (50 feet). At low tide you will be able to go for long walks into the ocean and see the mussels on their typical stakes (Le Vivier is the mussel-breeding center of France - more than 10,000 tons per year); or you can visit the sandcastles of the sandworms (Unesco world heritage site) or you can just walk along the 14th century dyke which was built by the request of Anne Duchess of Brittany.

bostankorkulugu, jorgi, faubry, azaf1, tomescuc, rigoletto, avene, Floydian, robob, thea0211, tehanu_f, mpdre, jmcl, MayaG has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bostankorkulugu (33334) 2008-10-22 7:31

like this one a lot michele, beautiful patterns on the sand thanks to the strong contrast... and a charming composition with the well placed silhouettes... the dogs add a lot to it also... simply perfect...

P-S-I-G (24482) 2008-10-22 7:38

Salut Michèle
Il y a une belle texture sur le sol. Joli fort contraste. Ce contre-jour en noir et blanc est de toute beauté.
Amicalement,
Fabrice

jorgi (3798) 2008-10-22 7:41

Hi Michele,

this one stays, ok? :)
Vast ground texture seems most curious, providing a peculiar atmosphere different from the surfaces we are used to. Reflected light creates this image most bright and warm despite BW conversion. Love the silhuettes...they create of feeling of long, worrieless walk...this small moment when we take time for ourselves and our friends. We should do that more often.

Warm regards,
Jeri

Sterne (2923) 2008-10-22 7:41

Bonjour Michele,
Très belle image, pleine de contraste qui sent bon la balade.
Stéphane

mesutilgim (36317) 2008-10-22 9:02

Hi dear Michele,
Amazing b&w capture. Very good pov and wonderfull compo with good and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

faubry (32197) 2008-10-22 9:11

Bonsoir Michele, de tres bons details du sable et ton noir et blanc est vraiment bien traite, j aime beaucoup le cadrage en laissant beaucoup de place a la plage>
amities
francine

azaf1 (15541) 2008-10-22 9:45

I really like the 2/3 frame you have here, Michele
Nice b/w version and the shadows are just marvelous
regards
Argiris soon

tomescuc (2835) 2008-10-22 10:02

The wet sand patterns are so bright ... beautiful texture and BW tonality, very good depth, the folks and their dogs add the needed compositional element here. Nice one.
best,
CT

delkoo (33976) 2008-10-22 10:23

bonjour Michele
une véritable atmosphère se degage de cette photo, on imagine ces gens faisant une belle promenade a marée basse en discutant de tout et de rien,

didier

Clementi (42957) 2008-10-22 10:27

Ciao Michele,
questa mi piace molto, il bianco e nero il forte contrasto la bellissima luce ne fanno un capolavoro.
Brava
Giorgio

rigoletto (25942) 2008-10-22 12:58

I love the heading dog here the most, because it is not juxtapositioned like the other silhouettes in line. Really, besides the impressive and interesting earth texture, those silhouettes are the beating veins of this photo, and i would rather prefer to see them separate from the BG. Just a humble idea of mine...
Best,
Deniz

ninaL (19292) 2008-10-22 13:39

Salut, Michèle...
Sensible à la mer et à la plage, j'apprécie bcp ce travail...
Les silhouettes, là...super.
Amitiés, Grazyna.

burGu (4528) 2008-10-22 13:48

I've never witnessed such a low tide before, never witness the tissue of earth under waters such close...
Strong contrast looks so charismatic with the walking silhouettes and sharpness looks so nice with earth.
Compliments Michele,
Burcu

Anna-- (7723) 2008-10-22 14:34

Ciao Michèle,
brillante lavoro e brillante nelle tonalità di B/N date dalla luce riflessa sulla spiaggia bagnata. Le silhouettes sono ben colte e l'atmosfera che vi si respira è di pace e serenità.
Bravissima
Buona serata
Anna

avene (10888) 2008-10-23 5:33

hi Michèle,
I agree with Jeri - this one stays ;) I like a lot the melancholy and elegance in this photo, and how you have devoted the biggest part of the frame to the textures on the ground, with silhouettes of the people just as a background. difficult to describe the mood here - slow, contemplative, may be a little sleepy, as if in that strange place right between being awake and sleeping. reminds me of Proust's "À la recherche du temps perdu" :) very nice work, my compliments.

regards,
Kristine

Floydian (30970) 2008-10-23 7:12

Dear Michele,
I saw a colour picture from you a few days ago with deep fall colours inside of them. Forgot to to put a comment there and now i am back you removed it...why? Reading the reply to Jorgi i understand, but please don't let you lead by others, just do your own thing, just as i do ;-)
For me this works with that large foreground and those people passing by. The b&w toning gives an empty feeling to the place, but those people make it become a live again. Nice to see the dog in front ;-)
Kind regards, Henk

Dyerco (8884) 2008-10-23 7:27

Hi Michele
I do like your B&W shots. Nicely composed. I presume you did some PS on this to bring out detail in the sky. I certainly get a sense of the mood you were trying to capture here.
Phil

archimatica (13182) 2008-10-23 8:24

Molto bella. Tutto perfetto, fin troppo.
Ma ti chiedo: per favore, torna al colore!
Ai tuoi intensi colori urbani, alle tue atmosfere particolari, alle tue visioni! Mi mancano. Prima o dopo, lo so, tornerai. ;-)
Un abbraccio
Renzo

robob (3640) 2008-10-23 8:49

Hello Michèle,
Un équilibre parfait dans ce cadrage, ligne d’horizon et position idéale des promeneurs,
Très chouette atmosphère également obtenue avec le B&W,
C’est une image très bien construite,
Bonne soirée et à bientôt,
Robert

thea0211 (1355) 2008-10-23 11:41

oh, michele, michele ... but i liked it!
even started a very strange comment on it ;o), was inspired by
those different directions ;o) and the (rather) sad song

but ok ... i like this one too! the very strange shiny surface.
the buildings at the horizont, the less friendly clouds
and of course the silhouettes (i'm a fan, you know).
nice visual 'construction'.
i might have prefered the silhouettes to be 1m or so closer
to you so their shapes don't 'intersect' the
trees/buildings in the 'far' background,
but i'm not 100% sure.

well done, michele!
dora

tehanu_f (6874) 2008-10-24 8:36

simply beautiful, michele, especially the dog leading the group of people. I love the bw conversion, the texture of the beach and the synchronicity in the people's steps.

Vasa (4936) 2008-10-25 13:46

Bonsoir Michele,

c'est ce qu'on peut voir en Bretagne si la maree le permet. Tu as su bien profiter cette situation et la transformer en spectacle visuel qui n'a pas besoin de couleurs pour s'exprimer. Les positions des details sont optimales pour creer une photo intriguante. Le niveau de la qualite dont tu m'habitues. Grand merci amie

marietom (31780) 2008-10-26 1:38

salut Michèle,

Bien sympa, ta composition bretonne.
J'espère que tu vas bien !
Bises
Marie

mpdre (1585) 2008-10-27 18:17

Hi Michele,
You manage to transport us into many different mood states with your beach shots. This one is fantastic for the simplicity of elements but richness in textures. The synchronized walk of the silhouettes, the schematic lines of the city in the background, the soft cloudy sky and the immense surface of sand in the forefront ... and your choice of B&W...wow.. all creates an immense feeling of tranquility...It's a real pleasure to pass by your gallery and get absorbed in this kind of mood-experience… Congrats!
Andre

jrj (34779) 2008-10-29 10:39

A fine result here Michele. Special light.
Good use of the format and the view of this low tide.
Maybe an extreme low pov here had worked as well. (No need to lay down just lower the camera - right above the ground, aim and shoot..)

noborders (14197) 2008-11-02 11:43

... Encore des silhouettes 'vivantes' qui animent cette plage qu'on devine dorée avec ses reflets... Je n'ai jamais vu la Bretagne et j'allais presque dire que ça me fait penser à la Flandre avec ce ciel bas, ce clocher et ces arbres ; l'avant-plan est splendide et éblouissant et j'aime beaucoup ces répétitions de petites choses (coquillages je suppose)... Tu as l'oeil, certainement !
Amitiés et je t'envoie un mail un de ces jours,
Cath.

jmcl (13721) 2008-11-10 19:54

Hi Michele,

I love how the contrast works with the other elements of this image .. the vastness .. the empty foreground and "cluttered" urban background .. very unique and nice sense of this place. take care, John

MayaG (2393) 2008-11-22 7:07

Dear Michele,

I am delighting to read that your photo was published! They have a nice taste, hehe ;))

The graphical simplicity of this one is very powerful. That never fails to impress me. The silhouettes of the walking group are so perfect...somehow, the dog being in the front enhances the desolate atmosphere. You know, it actually reminds me of Talking Heads song, 'We're on the Road to Nowhere'. Great work!

CLODO (4068) 2009-01-09 9:13

Hello Michele
Good low POV in order to feel the sand nature with a back light, and of course the group of persons, placed in the strong point of the image, brings life to your shot. Nice cloudy sky too.
All the best
CLODO