Bournemouth

Favourite shots of 2013: Part II

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An entire year of photography has passed and I’ve been looking back at 2013 through the lens.

It’s been tough to choose 10 shots that have really stayed with me, proved a lasting joy and pleasure – and evoke memories of the past 12 months.

Click to enlarge the individual photos and view all 10 as a gallery here or at the foot of the post – then it’s time to vote for your favourite.

Here’s the second set of five and why they were chosen.

HAMMERSMITH BY NIGHT

Hammersmith by nightLow light photography never ceases to lose its appeal, especially in a big city like London. Hammersmith Bridge is my local Thames crossing, and is more elegant than some of its rivals. This shot hangs on our wall as a symbol of our locality and home city.

SITTING AT THE WINDOW

Sitting at the windowPeople seldom take centre stage in my photographs. But this couple, sitting on the floor of the viewing platform of The Shard and gazing out over London, had to be captured. London’s highest building unexpectedly turned out to be a place for candids.

BRICK BOUTIQUE

Brick boutiqueAn interest in detail took an obsessive turn in 2013 with my collection of many local types of brickwork and bringing some of them together in one frame. It reminds me of moving to a new area and getting a feel for its physical presence, including the bricks of our own house which feature in this work.

SKY LIGHT

Sky lightA December trip to Bournemouth on England’s south coast yielded this moment of “sky porn”, with the sun searing through winter cloud cover on a deceptively gentle – and memorable – day away from London. The expanse of sea represents a sense of escape from city life.

GAUZED LIGHT

Gauzed lightMy top 10 could easily be composed entirely of architectural photographs. This shot perhaps sums up how I strive for symmetry and harmony when photographing buildings, and some unusual perspectives. But it masks the golden majesty of London’s New West End synagogue, probably my favourite visit of 2013.

Click first image to launch the Top 10 gallery

Pier to pier

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Bird in the skyThis is the story of two resorts on the Dorset coast in the south of England. Bournemouth and Boscombe are neighbours. They both have piers that jut out into the sea.

You can easily walk between the two piers – in both directions – or even take a shuttle that looks like a miniature train if your legs can’t take the strain.

Along the route there is the beach, the sea and steep cliff paths. At the top you can see the Isle of Wight. Even on a winter’s day, the walk is invigorating and an enlivening escape from London.

This is a place to take photographs, from the architecture of the piers to the coastal scenery. Take the walk if you ever get the chance – and don’t forget your camera.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

North London vista (2)

Beach huts

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They’re a traditional, essential and practically iconic feature of the British seaside. It’s a shelter, somewhere to change into your bathing costume, a place to make a cup of tea.

The coastal resort of Bournemouth in Dorset, on England’s south coast, is a bastion of the beach hut. The first municipal beach huts were built there in 1909, and there are still hundreds of them there today.

Long lines of little dwellings in every imaginable colour are a sight to behold on a chilly December day. They’re mostly locked up for the winter, but a couple of hardy souls were sat outside their miniature English castle.

They are irresistible to photograph – and this is a collection that simply cannot be presented in monochrome.

Beach hut stack

72nd floor abstract - clean (2)Click first image for full gallery experience

Beach huts in the Kent seaside town of Whitstable

Southerly skies

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Dermot hatched a plan for a London escape, just for a day. We travelled to Bournemouth, a resort on the south coast, past the port of Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

It was his first time, it was an occasion for childhood holiday memories for me. The December day was far from freezing. The sun did its best to pierce through, occasionally there was drizzle.

The sky over the expanse of the English Channel was dramatic and compelling, invigorating and interesting…

Sky light

Click to enlarge

Pier's end

Seagull

Velvet sheen - clean (2)