At the very end of our stay in New Zealand we decided to have one last morning on Koekohe Beach. What a difference this was from our initial visit. Our opening call there had some boulders high and dry on a flat rock bed, this mixed with high tides made for a steady tripod platform while the waves crashed in and a different look on this patch of coast. (a photo I've yet to post will show this) Today’s dawn on the other hand has these spherical rocks up to their waists in unblemished sand. 

I had broken the rules here two months ago while photographing a pair of very alien looking boulders at high tide. Now I'm back adhering to the magic number of three at low tide. I set up my uncomplicated composition over the trio hoping the sun will show itself to sidelight the scene. I start to fire a few frames as the sun slowly arrives creating a very soft pleasing glow on rocks, then eventually it’s at its peak with the beach bathed in strong golden honey light. Ideal you would think ? In my sleepily dawn state little did I know a lonely boulder just outside the frame would cast a huge black shadow across the middle ground destroying the simplistic arrangement of the scene. Light & Composition! Too extremely important tools in the making of a landscape photograph, but for me, the composition was more significant than the light on this dawn. I'm grateful for the possibly common habit of taking a few frames before the light flows. Of course when light & composition work in perfect harmony it’s just pure bliss. 
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MBT12

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