Five Years in the Making — A Sunrise at Cushendun Beach

Beyond the Photograph | Kevin Best Photography

 

Some photographs happen when you least expect them. Others take a little more planning, patience and, in this case, around five years to finally get right.

This photograph of Cushendun Beach on the beautiful Antrim Coast is one of my personal favourites, and there's quite a story behind it.

 

An Early Start on the Antrim Coast

Like many landscape photography adventures, this one started with a very early alarm.

It was still dark when I set off on the drive towards the North Coast, hoping that the conditions I'd been watching would finally come together.

And it was absolutely freezing!

Looking at the finished photograph, with that lovely golden glow stretching across the horizon, you'd probably imagine it was a warm, peaceful morning.

Peaceful, yes. Warm? Definitely not!

But that's something I love about landscape photography. The finished image only tells part of the story. It doesn't show the cold mornings, the early starts or the times you come home without the photograph you were hoping for. 

Waiting for Everything to Come Together

Getting a particular landscape photograph isn't always as simple as arriving somewhere beautiful and pointing a camera.

There's quite a bit of planning involved.

The weather, the tides, the waves, the direction of the sunrise and the cloud cover all play their part.

I'd had this particular photograph in my head for years. I knew the composition I wanted, with the wooden pathway leading towards the beach and the sun rising over the sea.

But getting everything to line up was another matter.

That morning, one of my biggest concerns was the cloud sitting along the horizon.

After all the planning and the early start, there was still a chance that the sunrise I'd hoped for wouldn't happen.

And that's the thing about nature. You can prepare as much as you like, but you can't control what happens next.

The Moment I'd Been Waiting For

Thankfully, as the morning unfolded, things started to work out.

The light began to break through, the sky warmed with colour, and that beautiful golden glow appeared across the water.

For a few moments, everything came together in a way I'd been imagining for years.

And standing there in the freezing cold, watching it happen, made all those early mornings and unsuccessful attempts worthwhile.

It had taken around five years to capture this scene the way I wanted.

That's a long time for one photograph, but sometimes the images that mean the most are the ones you have to wait for.

 

More Than Just a Photograph

When I look at this image now, I don't just see a sunrise at Cushendun Beach.

I remember the early alarm (that was nearly turned off to go back to sleep again), the drive, the cold air, the uncertainty about the clouds and that feeling when the light finally appeared

That's what makes landscape photography so rewarding for me.

It's not always about coming home with a photograph. Sometimes it's simply about being outdoors, experiencing these moments and appreciating the places we have around us.

And when everything does come together, it's a lovely feeling.

Bringing a Little of the Antrim Coast Home

I'm delighted to have finally added this photograph to my fine-art print collection.

For me, it represents five years of patience, planning and a morning I'll always remember.

For someone else, I hope it brings a little of that peace, warmth and beauty of the Antrim Coast into their home.

View the Cushendun Beach Sunrise fine-art print

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll join me for more stories Beyond the Photograph.

Kevin