Do you ever get that feeling at twilight? You know the one; butterflies in your gut, urging you to grab your camera and just get out there and shoot! Granted, I need no excuse at the moment after buying the new Fujifilm X-T3!

I had that feeling on Friday night. The sun was setting over the deck at home, and in a flash, I grabbed my X-T3, threw it in a bag and jumped in the car. It was one of those times that reaffirm that going with your gut is the right decision.

The beach was practically deserted, a pair of love-birds sitting atop the bonnet of their car the only people between me and the ocean. I grabbed out my XF55-200mm f/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS lens and got shooting.

And boy, had the ocean put on quite a show! From Barwon Heads to the right, right across to Point Lonsdale in the east, the deep cerulean blue waters were blanketed in a white frothy spray.

The receding waves transforming the sandy shoreline into a mirror-image of the setting sun above. Nothing Fujifilm’s latest release couldn’t handle.

Seagulls immersed themselves in the finest of scavenger hunts; rifling through the seaweed deposits on the shoreline’s edge for anything that took their fancy.

During the day this strip of sand and sea is very much the dominion of man and his best friend. But as the sun slipped further and further down behind the sand dunes, the gulls took flight from within the shadows, coming out in numbers and reclaiming the beach in the dying light of the day. Once I turned the Drive dial onto High-Speed burst mode, capturing the much-maligned bird take flight in the sky, became quite an easy task.

And once again I saw the landscape anew, revealing its true purpose: a haven for local birdlife. It’s like the whole flock took to the skies as the tide reached its peak. Making their way down the peninsula peeling off to their own watch stations.

As they flew along. I wondered what they were waiting for. Were they waiting for a feast of hermit crabs that were yet to emerge after the tidal waters had abated?

I’m not entirely sure, but I’d like to think they were taking on the mantle of ‘Stewards of the Sands’. Assuming the role of protectors of their magical beachscape home.

To be honest, I had been a tad worried that the X-T3 would feel quite a bit heavier and cumbersome compared to my X-T10. I was worried that if it were, it would prevent me from getting out and shooting at the drop of a hat; in essence, I was worried that it would take away what made me fall in love with Fujifilm in the first place. But my fears were ill-directed, as the X-T3 just feels so good in the hand. And at a time where I’ve made the move from the city to the beach, it’s amazing to be able to have such a tool to capture it with.