Eye-Opening GIFs of the British Coast at High and Low Tide

Sea Change is an eye-opening comparative series by photographer Michael Marten that reveals how visually different specific landscapes along the British coast are, dependent on whether they are at high or low tide. The collection, originally presented as diptychs, have been turned into gifs, making it all the more apparent how each environment transforms with the alternating rise and fall of the sea.

The coupled images in the series are each taken approximately 6 to 18 hours apart to truly capture the considerable contrast in scenery. The photographer says, “The tide comes and goes twice each day, but even when one spends a whole day by the sea it's easy to miss how dramatic tidal change can be.”

While one frame shows a bustling beach filled with sunbathers and families enjoying their time out together on the sand, its accompanying scene is of a vast expanse of water, as though a beach never even existed in that spot. It is a dramatic eye-opener that enlightens viewers, showing the cyclical nature of tides, while simultaneously visualizing an ominous change.

Marten says of his series, “I hope these photographs will increase awareness of natural change, of landscape as dynamic process rather than static image… The pictures can also serve as a warning of climate change. The tide floods in and quickly recedes, but rising sea levels will flood our shores and not recede for thousands or millions of years.”

Marten has released a book by the same name, which is available to purchase worldwide through his website.






Gif credit: awkwardsituationist
Michael Marten website
via [Visual News, Brekend]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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