The Beacon and the Kalkman, Engelsmanplaat by Rik Zwier

The Beacon stands firmly in the Wadden Sea. It stands to the east of the Engelsmanplaat. It used to serve as a light beacon for shipping. In the 1980s, the beacon began to lean and the light was removed. The Wadden Sea is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Kalkman is a bird watching station. For breeding birds on the Reef and migratory birds on Engelsmanplaat, enough rest is an absolute necessity for survival. During the breeding season, volunteer bird watchers from the Forestry Commission oversee that rest from the mudflat watch post.

I took this photo one summer evening during a Wadden photography workshop. Present were the organisers of this workshop: Wadexpedities, CameraNu and Ronald Rozema.

From Lauwersoog, we left for the plate, which was dry. I spent several hours on the plate and could photograph to my heart's content. For this photo I used a long shutter speed. The light was great this evening and the clouds cooperated well too! Ideal conditions. The Beacon stands out beautifully here. Solid with character. The little seawater still present and the beautiful light in this photo complete the picture! I was very happy to get my feet and trousers wet to achieve this result!