Where Land Meets the Sea

How the sea carves a coast

Waves attack the weakest parts of a cliff first. A crack becomes a sea cave. If the cave cuts through a headland, it becomes an arch. When the arch falls, a lone stack is left standing in the water. Australia's Great Ocean Road shows these stages clearly, and Ref-G photographed it in detail:

• Twelve Apostles Cliff Formation: 266 photos of the famous limestone stacks, in 3 light conditions: 144 at sunrise, 68 in daytime and 54 at sunset.
• Great Ocean Road Coast: 259 photos of steep cliffs, coves and bays, including 38 of a small arch bay.
• Stalagmite Bay: 342 photos of a round bay with small caves full of stalactites and stalagmites.
• Limestone Arch: 41 free photos of a large arch in several kinds of light.

Tide and weather change the scene

The same coast can look calm, wild, bright or grey within a few hours. The Motukiekie Cliff Cluster pack (428 photos, New Zealand) was shot over 3 days, at high and low tide, in daylight, afternoon light, overcast weather and sun rays, with 102 rock close-ups. Its conglomerate rock looks like soft gravel but is hard enough to stand against the waves. Rugged Marine Rocks (509 photos) compares 211 sunny and 298 overcast shots from 2 trips to the same coast. For fog, the Misty Coast pack (291 photos) shows the coast near Vancouver on a foggy morning, with boats, cliffs and houses along the shore.

The color of the sand

Sand color comes from the rock it was ground from, and it sets the palette of a whole scene.

• White: Bay of Fires (422 photos, Tasmania) has very fine white sand and round granite boulders layered in red, black and grey.
• Black: Ocean Coast (347 photos) covers the black sand beach at Muriwai, New Zealand, with cliffs and close-ups of sand, rock and plants.
• Orange: Rust Sand (66 photos, free) shows bright orange sand with grey rocks.
• Stone: Large Pebbles Beach (202 photos) is made of volcanic pebbles from a few centimetres up to 1 metre across.

Cold and unusual coasts

Not every coast is a beach. The Norway Fjords pack (125 photos) shows tall fjord cliffs from a boat. Iceberg Coast (198 photos, Greenland) shows huge icebergs drifting past the coast. The Dead Sea pack (126 photos) shows a shoreline shaped by salt, with mineral mounds left by the very salty water.

For tall inland walls, see cliff and canyon reference. For what lies under the water, see coral reef reference.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have photos of breaking waves?

Yes. Splashing Waves (47 photos, $4.99) shows water splashing in dramatic light. The Pancake Layered Cliffs pack also includes video clips of waves crashing against the cliffs.

Which coastal packs are best for seascape painting?

Packs shot at sunrise or sunset give the strongest color and the clearest shapes. The Twelve Apostles sunrise set is a classic choice. Our landscape painting reference page has more packs chosen for painters.

Can I build 3D coastal rocks from these photos?

Yes. The license lets you create your own 3D models, photogrammetry meshes and textures from the photos for your projects. The Red Eroded Cliffs pack from Bondi, Sydney, already includes high-resolution 3D surface samples to start from.