Three Photos, One Storm: An Afternoon at Noosa Main Beach

Some of my favourite photos weren't planned at all. These three were taken on the same afternoon at Noosa Main Beach, in the space of about 30 minutes, while I was teaching a photography class.

The storm rolls in

The forecast that day was for a late afternoon storm. Not long after we set up on the sand, it started building in the west. Most people would have packed up and gone home. Instead, I told the class to stay around. We moved off the beach and took cover while the storm passed over us.

Storms are a gift for a photographer. The clouds give the sky shape and drama, and if the sun finds a gap near sunset, the light can be extraordinary.

Once it had passed, the class and I photographed the back of the storm as it headed out to sea, dark and dramatic, with a beautiful rainbow hinting at the beauty hiding inside. What a spectacular opportunity for the class to work on light capture! That first frame became Noosa Main Beach Storm.

The light arrives

As the sun dropped, it started to catch the tops of the storm clouds. Soft orange and yellow crept along their edges, and the whole beach began to glow.

That moment became Noosa Afternoon Storm, the second photo in the series.

The climax of colour

Then, just as the last of the storm moved through, the sunset lit up everything that was left of it. The sky turned deep red, and the colour reflected off the wet sand and the water. It even turned my students' clothes red.

Afternoons like this happen rarely, and that class was lucky enough to be standing right in the middle of one. The final frame is Noosa Reflection.

What that afternoon taught me (and my class)

• Don't leave when the weather turns. The best light often comes right at the edge of a storm.
• Stay after the sun goes down. The strongest colour in the clouds can come several minutes after sunset.
• Look down as well as up. Wet sand acts like a mirror and doubles the colour in the sky.
• Keep shooting as the scene changes. One afternoon gave me three completely different photos.

See the series

All three photos, Noosa Main Beach Storm, Noosa Afternoon Storm and Noosa Reflection, are available as fine art prints on paper, canvas or aluminium. They work beautifully on their own, or hung side by side to tell the story of the afternoon.

Thanks for reading,
Adam