Acqua Alta by Sébastien Beun

Captured during an exceptional tidal event in Venice, this photograph documents the serene yet dramatic moment the Adriatic Sea began to reclaim the city streets. As sirens signaled a 135 cm tide peak, the photographer ventured toward Piazza San Marco to witness the water quietly invading the historic pavements. Utilizing a long exposure, the image transforms the rising tide into a mirror-like surface, reflecting the haunting beauty of the submerged city. This work is award-worthy for its atmospheric tension and the technical precision required to balance the low-light conditions of a Venetian night with the fluid, ethereal movement of the encroaching water.

Acqua Alta by Sébastien Beun
Canon EOS 5D Mk II with EF 24-70mm f/2.8
Exposure 30sec @ f/5.6 | ISO 50 | Focal Length 24mm
Copyright © Sébastien Beun
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Sébastien Beun

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in 1981 and based in Thuin, Belgium, Sébastien Beun is a dedicated photographer whose journey began at age twelve with his father’s vintage equipment. After mastering the intricacies of black-and-white film development in his own darkroom, he transitioned into the digital realm while maintaining a deep respect for traditional techniques. Today, his work is driven by a desire to capture the subjects and moments that resonate with him personally, reflecting a lifelong evolution from attic-found analog gear to a sophisticated modern photographic practice.

Profile View Full Profile
11.8/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
160/500
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SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
8,166 views | 3 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date January 5, 2018
66.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 13.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 17.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Night Photography
Sébastien Beun Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.6/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,080/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
8,166/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
1.6/5 points
160/500 Submission
Jury Score: 66.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.6/20
Total Award Score: 77.6/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 3

Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
Most would have retreated to a warm bar when the sirens wailed, but Beun clearly didn't. Standing in freezing, rising Adriatic salt water for a thirty-second exposure isn't exactly a holiday. I’ve spent enough nights shivering in damp boots to appreciate the commitment here. The stillness of that reflection is worth the inevitable pneumonia. It’s a rare, earned quietude. One suspects he didn't just stumble upon this; he waited for the city to drown.
Victoria Ashby Wildlife, Nature & the Ethics of the Unseen Moment Expert Review
Venice’s rising tide is a haunting sight, but I can’t help but look for the life displaced by this surge. Where are the rats, the insects, or the birds forced from their roosts by this 135 cm intrusion? It’s technically polished, sure, but it feels sterile. I’ve spent nights in freezing marshes waiting for a heron to blink; this feels like an extraction of beauty, ignoring the raw, messy reality of the ecosystem’s distress.
Lena Brandstrom Macro Photography, Optics & the Science of the Seen Expert Review
At f/5.6, the 24mm focal plane renders the Piazza’s stone textures with clinical sharpness, yet it’s the long exposure that truly fascinates. By integrating thirty seconds of photon data, Beun has smoothed the Adriatic’s turbulence into a perfect, low-pass filter. The diffraction of light across that mirror-like surface is, in the strictest physical sense, extraordinary. I’ve stared at these reflections for an hour; it’s haunting how the lens resolves a stillness the human eye simply cannot perceive.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Yuki Sato

The Mirror of Quiet Tides

There is a profound grace in the way water seeks its own level, moving with a patience that humans rarely possess. When the world grows loud and the earth feels solid beneath our feet, we forget that everything is in a state of flux.

Read the reflection →
By Priya Kapoor

The Salt on the Skin

The smell of damp stone always brings me back to the basement of my childhood home, where the walls wept with the humidity of a long, forgotten summer. It is a thick, mineral scent—the smell of earth trying to reclaim what we have built upon it.

Read the reflection →

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