Canvey Island

2016 has been dismissed as a bad vintage by some, thanks to Brexit, Trump and a large number of celebrity deaths.

But behind the camera, another year has passed with a great deal of photographs to show for it. I’ve picked out 16 that seem to have stood out from the pack, reflecting a year of travel to Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka.

The foreign adventures were curtailed as I set about the task of leaving London and setting up home further north. There were some photo excursions along the way, including a blistering summer’s day in Broadstairs – and finally capturing the sumptuous staircase in an old London furniture store.

2017 looks likely to be filled with new northern adventures in and around Manchester, with some travel thrown in. Thank you for another year of visits, appreciation and support – a Happy New Year to you and yours.

Click first image to view the best of 2016

Canvey Island lies in the Thames estuary in my native county of Essex. Its history was scarred by a devastating flood in 1953 which claimed 58 lives and led to the construction of miles of protective high sea walls.

I returned recently having visited relatives there as a child, but this was my first taste of Canvey’s walls and waterfront on a warm, humid summer’s day. It was full of daytripping families, some local voices peppered with Eastern European migrants. The painted walls tell the story of 1953 against the backdrop of amusements and cafes selling ice-cream and burgers.

The estuary landscape is stark but beautiful, with the crowds of people adding colour and life to photographs. It’s a place of both symmetry and the unpredictability of life.