Using Photography to Document Shocking Ocean Tide Changes

Photography Tips

In his book “Sea Change,” English photographer Michael Marten explores the duality of a natural cycle that’s been going on since the dawn of time—the changing of the tides. He went to several locations around the coasts of Britain and captured each one in both high tide and low tide. 53 of these diptychs, arranged as a clockwise journey around Britain, are presented in the book:

For some of the locations, the water recedes so much during low tide that it’s almost indistinguishable during high tide. Michael goes around that problem by choosing to shoot both images from a fixed perspective, making sure that there’s at least a common high ground which serves as reference point. It’s an interesting portrayal, a study in contrast between high and low, push and pull, empty and full.