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Footprints of a wader and marsh samphire on a sandflat at Sandy Haven in Pembrokeshire

Footprints at Sandy Haven

Location Sandy Haven, Wales

I followed a little-used, overgrown path onto the sandflats at Sandy Haven, where my attention was first attracted by the marsh samphire. I tried to move around as little as possible to avoid getting my footprints in any potential shots. I stayed fixed in one position between shots, while examining the marsh samphire from afar to identify the best subjects, and envisaging the various possible compositions from different angles. I didn’t want to ruin a keeper out of overenthusiasm.

A bit later, I found evidence that someone had been here before me. I thought that their footprints were much more photogenic than my own, so I made them the subject of this image. Maybe I should patent some animal-footprint shoes for photographers. I don’t know why nobody has thought of this before. We have lens-cleaning kits that resemble a surgeon’s equipment bag, but nothing to solve this common frustration among landscape and nature photographers. Let me know if you’d be interested in funding a kickstarter campaign for this.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Sandy Haven is one of the component areas of the Milford Haven Waterway SSSI, which is designated as such for many reasons, including its saltmarsh, mudflats, and the nationally important numbers of wildfowl and waders these habitats support. Waders eat the seeds of marsh samphire, the plant visible in this photo.

More details
  • Location Sandy Haven, Wales
  • Date taken 3rd June, 2025
  • Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark III
  • Lens EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM at 32.0mm
  • Exposure details 1/160s at f/13, ISO 320
  • Keywords
    • Aves
    • Bird
    • Footprint
    • Marsh samphire
    • Milford Haven Waterway
    • Mudflat
    • Pembrokeshire
    • SSSI
    • Salicornia europaea
    • Saltmarsh
    • Sand
    • Sandflat
    • Sandy Haven
    • UK
    • United Kingdom
    • Wader
    • Wales