Long Exposures on the Opal Coast
Tuesday 29 October 2024, 20:20 by Nando Harmsen | 2,809 views | 1 commentThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
One of my favourite stretches of coastline is in France: the Opal Coast. I go there often. I also teach a long exposure masterclass there. Let me inspire you with a selection of photos.
For those who do not know it yet, the Opal Coast lies just below Calais. This is where you find France's chalk cliffs, with the famous two capes: Cap Blanc Nez (the white cape) and Cap Gris Nez (the grey cape).
It is a very diverse area, with extensive sandy beaches and rocky shores. There are several picturesque villages, a fort and a shipwreck that has been there for more than 100 years.
There are mussel beds, crumbling bunkers and, on the horizon, you can see England. The difference between high and low tide can be as much as ten metres, and you can walk for many kilometres along the top of the cliffs.
I teach a unique long exposure photography masterclass there twice a year. I have been doing that for several years, and it has already been planned for 2025 too.
Enjoy this selection of photos, and let them inspire you to photograph the sea with long exposures.
These photos were all taken during the masterclass in September 2024. I use Haida filters to achieve long exposures. I use 3-stop, 6-stop, 10-stop and 15-stop filters, so I can photograph as diversely as possible.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
You might also like
-
Don’t always choose the lowest viewpoint for your landscape photoby Nando Harmsen
-
Nature photography tip: Play with shutter speed in the surfby Rob Dijkstra
-
Photographing the Passage of Timeby Nando Harmsen
-
Review: Haida Premium Brass and Bluestone UV filtersby Nando Harmsen
-
Khanoptic KineticGlass, a filter filled with liquidby Elja Trum
1 comment
-
Snow Rider
wrote on Saturday 18 October 2025 at 05:59
| reply
I 'm enjoying you works, they're really grab my attention
Translated from Dutch.
Have your say
Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.
Become a better photographer every week
A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,219 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via 
Facebook.
Elja Trum
Photofacts; everything to do with photography!
Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
