This was an escape from Manchester to the Merseyside coast.
Formby isn’t your usual jolly seaside resort, but a haven of tall sand dunes, gnarled pine trees and a broad stretch of beach.
Wind turbines stand tall out to sea and the mighty city of Liverpool is in view.
It’s a place to clamber, walk and inhale the bracing air – not to mention capture in photographs.
This is one of my favourite photographic compositions. Tall buildings, big skies and camera pointing aloft. Big and minimal combined.
One day Salford Quays was drenched in a blue canopy, the next day Manchester was leaden and grey. But their new buildings looked equally striking under varying April weather.
Life’s very sad occasions are marked with beautiful floral tributes.
Instead of leaving them behind, I brought these flowers back to my home. They were fresh, vibrant and reflected a life of enormous personal significance.
Keeping them was an act of remembrance. Photographing them was a pleasure and source of comfort.
On the rare occasions that flowers come into my possession, I want to make them last beyond their fragile lifespan.
This beautiful spray of white tulips marked an occasion of great sadness, but it was a great joy to photograph them in all their delicacy.
An act of remembrance in many ways.
Autumn arrives every year without fail, and with it a billion photographs of warm oranges and burnt russets. It’s hard to resist, but I wonder why we do it. One year I avoided the fall altogether, another year I took some leaves indoors in an effort to do something different.
On a recent break in Wales, I found an autumnal spot and succumbed to the inevitable. Do you ever think it’s best to sail against the tide and put your camera down when everyone else is snapping away?
Sweeping leaves to one side, a seasonal moment came to me one dark afternoon as the rain lashed against the window pane and darkness had already set in. A moment when outdoor bleakness almost seeped in. This capture of mood made me want to pick up my camera.
Click to enlarge
