Golden evening light in the Dishoek dunes by Sander Poppe

From a dune near Dishoek, you can look out over a typical Zeeland coastal landscape. On this peaceful summer’s evening, the sun was already low over the North Sea and its warm light was slanting across the dunes. This gave the marram grass a golden hue that stood out beautifully against the cooler shades of the sky and sea.

The dunes run diagonally across the frame, forming a natural line towards the horizon. Beach huts are scattered along the coastline, and further out, rows of posts can be seen extending into the sea. In the distance stands a red-and-yellow-striped light beacon, a familiar feature along this coast.

What particularly appealed to me about this moment was the tranquillity. The sea was calm, the evening sky was tinged with soft shades of pink and purple amidst the blue hues of the approaching twilight, and the landscape seemed to be slowly coming to a standstill. It was one of those evenings when the light was constantly changing without ever becoming too intense.

With the warm colours of the marram grass, the open horizon and the layered landscape of dunes, beach and sea, this photograph exudes tranquillity and a sense of space. The image brings a touch of the atmosphere of the Zeeland coast indoors and therefore looks particularly good in a home, office or reception area where light and nature take centre stage.