Finally seeing the waves lit up against the dark night sky felt strange. \u201cIt\u2019s really a surreal experience which I can only describe\u00a0to be like meditation,\u201d he says. \u201cThere is nothing quite like being alone at the beach at 3am with a camera watching this amazing phenomenon.\u201d<\/p> Bioluminescence is caused by tiny plankton in the water. When they\u2019re disturbed by movement, such as crashing waves, they create their own light and make the shoreline light up. <\/p> One reason for this could be to protect themselves from their predators: when they sense danger nearby, they light up the sea around them, enticing an even bigger hunter to come and eat their potential predator.\u00a0<\/p> Along with some fellow photographers, McGrath has been following the Welsh bioluminescence and taking photos of it for many years. Once he\u2019d perfected his night photography skills, a lot of it came down to getting to the locations where this can happen, waiting and hoping. \u201cYou can only plan so much,\u201d he says.<\/p> It takes huge patience to take these types of shots of the natural world. \u201cYou could go to the beach another 10 times at the same location and see nothing, it really is pot luck.\u201d<\/p> This phenomenon can be seen annually on the\u00a0South Wales<\/a>\u00a0coastline, possibly when the plankton is drawn in by warmer summer waters. \u201cI just think the big question is how many are actively\u00a0looking,\u201d says McGrath.\u00a0<\/p> For those who would like to try to see this strange occurrence for themselves, McGrath recommends joining an online group to find out where the bioluminescence might be happening and plan your trip from there. <\/p> Rather than follow the crowds, McGrath thinks it\u2019s best to be a trailblazer. \u201cLook for beaches where it hasn’t\u00a0been seen, go with no expectations and you may surprise\u00a0yourself and be the first to spot it in\u00a0a new location,\u201d he says.<\/p> Because the bioluminescence creates light in the ocean, you don\u2019t need a torch to see it. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s the opposite \u2013 you will see less and only ruin photos for photographers when they are trying\u00a0to capture this,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p> Taking good photos<\/a>\u00a0that accurately represent the magic of the sparkling water is difficult. McGrath has perfected his night photography techniques through taking photos in total darkness in mines, bunkers and train tunnels. He recommends using a high ISO and dropping the sensitivity slightly, to prevent too much noise in the images, if the bioluminescence is strong.<\/p> \u201cMy settings for the images were ISO2000, F1.4 at 4 seconds exposures but you can get more detail with faster shutter speeds,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s a balance really.\u201d<\/p> The most important thing, for McGrath is how the amazing experience brings people together and inspires people who aren\u2019t usually interested in the coastline to get outdoors and see this remarkable spectacle. \u201cJust enjoy yourself,\u201d he says.<\/p> Safety is an important concern when working with the ocean, especially at night. McGrath stresses the importance of being aware of the conditions and what the tide is doing so you don\u2019t get caught out. \u201cReally be careful, you can get carried away when you see it and lose sight of your position on the beach,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p> For McGrath, getting these fantastic shots has only spurred him on to try and take more: \u201cThis is on a par with the Aurora,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce you see it once, it is very addictive.\u201d<\/p> Photography: Lee McGrath<\/a> | Words: Melissa Hobson\u00a0<\/em><\/p> More weird and wonderful spectacles:<\/strong><\/p> The magical phenomenon that caused parts of the Welsh coastline to turn neon\u00a0blue was captured on camera by photographer Lee McGrath. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37910,"template":"","categories":[1,27],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue.jpg",2560,1709,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-768x513.jpg",768,513,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-1024x684.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-1536x1025.jpg",1536,1025,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/surreal-bioluminescent-plankton-turn-the-wales-coast-blue-2048x1367.jpg",2048,1367,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The magical phenomenon that caused parts of the Welsh coastline to turn neon\u00a0blue was captured on camera by photographer Lee McGrath.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is bioluminescence?<\/h2>
Bioluminescence in Wales<\/h2>
![\"Bioluminescent](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/06\/Bioluminescent-plankton-in-Wales-scaled.jpeg\")
How to photograph bioluminescence<\/h2>
![\"Bioluminescent](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/06\/Bioluminescent-plankton-on-Wales-coast-scaled.jpeg\")
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