Today (Friday, April 1) sees the official launch of a new book.

Fifty Shades of Sand by E. C. Lee Fould is a photographic journal of Pembrokeshire’s famous golden sands.

It’s a spectacular collection of 50 images which acts as a breathtaking visual companion for the county’s coastline.

“Pembrokeshire has some of the finest beaches in the world containing a wide variety of breathtaking sandy shores which attract thousands of visitors each year,” says the author who has visited the county taking photographs throughout the year..

“I love photography and on April 1 last year, I set about taking pictures from all over the county to create a gorgeous pictorial for sand lovers.

“I have been a visitor to Pembrokeshire for many years and have found the different types of sand on the beaches absolutely fascinating so much so I struck on the idea of the book which combines both my photographic hobby and love of the county.

“Since Victorian times, naturalists like Philip Henry Gosse have found Pembrokeshire a fascinating place to study the shore, but no one, to my knowledge, has placed their focus entirely on sand.

“Every beach from Amroth right around the Pembrokeshire coast to St. Dogmaels is different - all have their own unique coloured sand which has evolved over time.

“From coppery cream on Tenby’s South Beach through soft mushroom (West Angle Bay) to the aptly named white sands of Whitesands Bay, Pembrokeshire sand is as evocative as it is beautiful.”

E. C. Lee Fould describes these remarkable colour variations as ‘akin to an artist’s pallette’ and attributes them to the proportions of carboniferous limestone and red sandstone, and the types of shellfish that each bay attracts.

The author adds: “The colours change considerably from summer to winter as the weather, tides, wildlife, visitors and daylight hours all have a part to play. Likewise, Fifty Shades of Sand travels not only from one end of the county to the other, but also through the year, from winter to summer.”

Continuing the theme, the author says that he is hoping to turn the series into a trilogy, and is now currently working on a pop-up book featuring sandcastles and sand sculptures which he hopes will add a different look at Pembrokeshire’s beaches and bring them to life in one simple collection.

With a foreword by Sandi Beach Shore, Fifty Shades of Sand is published by Daisy All Proof (AF Publications).

It is available from today is various local outlets.