As I often do now, I rush to the nearest coast as soon as I learn that there is a storm forecast.

For me, it’s the area between Cancale and Saint-Malo. It’s less than an hour’s drive away, an area I’m familiar with.

I know it is strongly recommended not to approach the sea during these storms because of the enormous waves that can take you offshore, but I think I know the sea well in this area.

Especially since an incident when I almost got swept away with all my gear. I was really shaken, and since then, I have been particularly cautious: I do a reconnaissance to make sure I have a way out, check the tides and depending on the state of the sea, I know if I can get close or if I have to stay at a safe distance and take out the telephoto lens. And above all, I never go to the coast at the peak of the storm, but I go there in the hours before or after. This is because the waves are usually big enough for my taste, and the wind is still manageable for photography.

In this particular case, the peak of the storm was expected in the middle of the night, so I headed to Plage du Verger near Cancale the day before in the afternoon with the aim of staying there until the last light of the day. As it is a very accessible beach with a car park and public toilets, the beach was still very busy with locals when I arrived, but as soon as the first dark clouds arrived, it started to empty. That's when I took this picture.

I had decided to concentrate on the waves while waiting to take the photo I had come for, experimenting with different shutter speeds using a CPL and/or ND filters.

I quite like the minimalist effect that the 1.3-second exposure combined with the almost monochromatic colour palette.

This proves once again that it's always worth experimenting and that you shouldn't get hung up on one idea. Initially, it was just to pass the time without any hope of making a photo that I would keep.

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