I can’t say that Brighton was on my radar for a visit as I looked ahead to the year back in January. Come to think of it, I don’t think anywhere but the confines of my own house and town were on my radar because of the pandemic.
But as the months passed by, restrictions eased and holiday entitlement needed to be taken, I began to cast my net, but not too far. I considered a few nearby(ish) continental cities, but just reading through the requirements because of Covid-19 gave me a headache, so I looked closer to home. Fortunately, a colleague of mine (thank you, Ellie!) had not long ago visited Brighton and her recollections more than whetted the appetite. That — and it being fairly close to London to go to a Spurs game I had a ticket for — inspired me to book up.
And it was great! I’m not your typical seaside fan, but having not been anywhere even close to the sea for many years, the sea air did wonders for the soul. I walked over 25 miles in two days, a good portion of which were along the beach and seafront. This provided ample opportunity to get the camera out and take a few snaps. The striking thing was how quiet it was, particularly at night. I was walking the pier one evening and it was so dead I wondered if it was 9pm, but it was barely gone 5pm. But as your quintessential introvert, this didn’t really bother me, and it presented the opportunity to capture Brighton in a different light.
I hope I’ve managed to capture this in the below photos. One of the things I am trying to do in seeking to hone my street and urban photography skills is get closer to the action. A teleconverter lens I bought last year certainly came in handy on this front, but this only helps so far. Often what’s required to get even closer is a good dose of bravery. I’m not quite there, but I took a few risks — including asking a few people if I could take street portraits of them. Thank you to Mario, Alan and Mike, all of whom were incredibly obliging, being kind enough to not only allow me to stick a camera in front of their faces but share a little about their lives and ask about mine.
I’ll stop rambling away and let the photos speak for themselves. All photos were taken with the Fujifilmx100f, including several with the teleconverter attached. Enjoy!
