Carel Coenraadpolder

The sun rises over the salt marsh at Carel Coenraadpolder, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Last week we had some great sunrises and sunsets, but I didn't have any time available to capture them. In a couple of weeks, when the sun rises a lot earlier, I will have the opportunity again to get out for photography before work. For now, only the weekends are an option, so imagine my frustration when the excellent weather disappeared on Friday, to be replaced by wind, rain and grey skies. However, the forecast for this morning didn't look too bad, so I got out at 5.45 and drove to the Carel Coenraadpolder. When I was here last time, a storm had pushed the water up to the dike and the land that I was now able to walk on had completely disappeared below the water. Today, I ventured out towards the sea until I found this patch of salt marsh, where I waited and hoped for the sun to make an appearance. As it turned out, luck was on my side and I was able to capture this about half an hour after sunrise.

Technical details: because the sun was too bright to hold back with ND grads, I made two exposures and merged them in Photoshop. I hope you like the result.

Today my mother-in-law is celebrating her 65th birthday. Happy birthday Zwaan! We'll be with you in a couple of hours.

Not bad bigger...