Story of an image - Number 5

I am not one for doing selfies. I am not a fan of selfies. Post a lot of selfies to Instagram and it's likely that I'll unfollow you. The above is a selfie.

So how did I end up being so contradictory?

My favourite time of the day when I lived in Spain was sunrise. Especially in the winter. The beach was empty, the sun would rise at a reasonable time, and still it was warm enough to venture out in tee-shirt and shorts.

I spent many mornings watching the sun rise over the calm sea. I would marvel at the beauty of nature. I'd close my eyes, listen to the surf and feel the warm rays of the rising sun caress my face. When I opened my eyes I'd look to my left to see the welcome outline of my favourite mountain, Puig Campana. My gaze would take in the range of the Sierra Aitana and fall upon the unmistakable profile of the Cabeçó d'Or.

Winter sun, a 7km empty beach, lapping surf, the sunlight dancing on the surface of the sea, and distant mountains. Bliss.

I took hundreds of photos of that beach, of that sunrise, before I decided I wanted a memory of me in that scene.

I am a lover of reflections in photography, and often the tide would leave pools of water that were perfectly placed to capture what I had in my mind's eye. So one morning I placed my camera on my wallet next to one of those pools of sea water. I set the self timer and placed myself between the camera and the rising sun.

So there you have it. There I have it forever. A capture of one of those memories that I hold so dear. They were my "me" times. They were when I felt true peace and bliss.

If you are interested in the settings, it was 1/100th of a second at ISO200 with aperture at f13.

Thank you for reading.

#fotomondeo #alicante #playadesanjuan #spain #españa #selfie #beach #playa #bliss