Features
Beauty and the Beach
Taking a close look at the treasures on TCI beaches.
By Jody Rathgeb ~ Photos By Marta Morton and Tom Rathgeb

Beach potpourri is a natural work of art.
Beachcombers and collectors of shells might be surprised to know that the sand they sift through to find “treasures” was once those very treasures, created through bio-erosion. In the geological long view, you can’t have your beach and walk on it, too!

Multi-colored periwinkles are among the most visible and familiar shells.
The natural setting

Sunrise tellin in a natural setting.
Marta uses “my little point-and-shoot” as her camera, a Canon Power Shot SX-720-HS with a 40x optical zoom. “I don’t do anything special,” she says, although she admits, “I can spend an hour doing different angles.” Occasionally, she will “pose” her subjects.
She finishes her photos using a program called ACD-See, using minimal enhancement: perhaps boosting colour or adding to the reflection of sparkling water.
Marta adds that while she knows she should organise her photos better and could print some favourites, it gives her pleasure to go through them and remember quiet days of beachcombing. And isn’t that the purpose of a souvenir?
Isolated beauty

Sunrise Tellin in a studio setting.
Tom uses a Nikon D3400 with a Nikon DX AF-S 18-55, 1:3.5-5.6G lens. “Sometimes, if the shell is small, I will use a Tiffen 52mm+2 enlarging lens. I use auto-area autofocus since my eyes are not good enough for manual focusing.”
He continues, “Carrying a traditional camera, with an additional lens, is some trouble, especially since TSA can’t make up its mind if a camera or a lens is an electronic device that has to be taken out of your carry-on. But I find a traditional camera is much more flexible in its settings than a phone camera,” and offers more control. “However, I have seen many phone camera photos that rival traditional cameras as long as you know and live within its limitations.”

This ethereal beauty is likely a partridge tun shell.

Sea biscuits are related to sand dollars.
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This spectacular shot was captured by Seth Willingham, also known as @waterproject on Instagram. He’s been a professional photographer for 15 years, traveling the world capturing images of nature from beautiful destinations. He says, " From the moment I first saw Turks & Caicos from the airplane window I knew this place was going to be different. On our first night at Grace Bay, we were blessed with a glorious sunset and the colors of the sky and water were truly mind blowing."
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