I love the sea. I love the beach. I love the salty sea air. I'd spend three months a year at the seaside if I could. Sadly, I haven't really spent much time at the beach in the past few years for various reasons. This year it wasn't until September that we could finally take the time and head to one of our favorite destinations, Island Krk in Croatia. We traveled with our half-made camper van and based ourselves at the campground in Stara Baška but drove to a desolate beach near Punat almost every day. I still had to work, but I got to lie on the beach every day, swim, relax, do crosswords and sudoku, and I actually read 4 books! Bliss. These 9 days weren't about photography at all, but I had my little camera with me almost everywhere and snapped away when the mood struck.
Arriving at our destination - Stara Baška:
Late afternoon on the beach at the Stara Baška campground:
Waiting for the sunset:
The desolate beach near Punat, and finally some serious drama in the sky!
View of the Punat Bay with a small island in the middle:
It was raining almost every night, and the clouds got quite ominous a few times during the day, too:
View of the Punat Bay:
Our campground:
The hills behind the village of Stara Baška:
At the Stara Baška pier for sunset:
Pink sky above Stara Baška:
I think I'll go back before the summer is completely over. ;)
I had just returned from the US, overwhelmed by the experience and the number of photos I took, and before I could catch my breath, I was off to Zermatt, Switzerland for 4 days to do some skiing and hiking, and then the Croatian beach for 3 days to just lie on the beach. :) Processing photos had to wait. But before I start with too many blog posts about America, I'll quickly show a few photos I took one evening at the beach. The wispy clouds in the afternoon were a good indication the sunset would be spectacular. And it didn't disappoint!
In late September I went to Island Krk for the weekend - probably the last time this year. While it was almost too cold to swim (but we did nonetheless), the sunset was really crazy. The whole sky was burning red and orange then violet until it finally died down. What a sight!
After crossing the bridge from the mainland to Island Krk, we were greeted by this: Then in Stara Baška, the sky went completely crazy. I ran to the beach to take photos: The sea was glowing in the sunset:Wooden fence and violet skies: The following night the sunset wasn't as spectacular, but it was still interesting: A perfect night to take pictures: The nudist beach in the evening. No, no naked people here. :)) A few more photos here.
When it's too hot during the day, you wait for the night to fall before you start taking pictures. The beach is not so crowded, the light is better and the breeze is to die for! After getting what you came for (the photos, supposedly) there's nothing better than laying down on the pebbles, watching the stars appear in the sky and listening to the waves. And maybe something else ... ;)
In the beginning of May I went on a short vacation to Island Krk where I stayed in the small town of Punat. The weather played a few tricks on me and the sun was only shining on my first day there, so I didn't get another opportunity to shoot the wonderful coastline in a better light. The following photos were taken too late in the morning when the light was already too harsh, but you get the picture - the color of the sea was spectacular nevertheless. I'm not upset though as I'm pretty sure I'll get another chance this summer to capture this fantastic stretch of the Croatian coast. :)
A sight of a beautiful beach which is deserted on a sunny day seems quite odd, doesn't it? Well, the day in question was in late October, with wind and temperatures that aren't exactly suitable for sunbathing or even swimming. It was a lovely sight nevertheless.
After sunset I took some photos around the old village of Stara Baška.
It's interesting to spend a weekend at the seaside after the throngs of tourists and beachgoers have gone. See the rest of the photos here.
