The golden sands of Vestrahorn beach by Gerry van Roosmalen

About "The golden sands of Vestrahorn beach"

by Gerry van Roosmalen

About the artwork

I was really looking forward to seeing the reflection of Mount Vestrahorn in South Iceland again. Only occasionally, when the wind managed to blow an opening in the cloud cover, did the sun dare to gently touch the black sand of the immense beach with a few rays, for a brief moment.
As I carefully maneuvered the car along the sandy path to the parking lot, I looked longingly to the left where the reflection would soon become visible. Only strong winds could throw a spanner in the works. That thought was premature. The complete absence of reflection was also an option that I had not thought of. We only had a view of a huge black beach, which was of course still beautiful, but for me it was an anticlimax.
Without the enormous reflection of the mountain ridge, the high tide line would of course still remain. The high tide line with its snow-white foam caps, which form a beautiful contrast with the pitch-black sand, which together create a beautiful foreground for the immense mountain ridge, guarantee a moment of respect for the overwhelming nature in this eastern part of Iceland.
Searching for elements that could make the photo interesting again, shadows emerged from one moment to the next. And you know, no shadow without light. Within five seconds my feeling went from mmm to wow!
My attention was drawn to a weathered tree trunk. While the sky continued to turn more orange, the trunk suddenly became a valuable subject for a number of photos. There is no beautiful photo without beautiful light.
A little further on I saw a sand dune, now caressed by the light of the setting sun. I rushed to the sand dune hoping to get to the dune faster before the sunlight would disappear again.
The sand dunes, sometimes more than a meter high, lay virginal here, untouched by footprints at my feet. The low sun now broke completely through the cloud cover, turning the black dunes into mountains of A moment of absolute beauty.

I looked around. A few hundred meters behind me a number of people were looking at the high tide line. In the distance in front of me, a handful of people stood looking at the spot where you should normally be able to see the reflection, and me? I had the sand dunes with their beautiful light all to myself. A moment of natural perfection.