Greener Pastures

In the whole of Britain one could hardly find pastures greener than the hills and valleys of Sussex. I’ve been exploring this area with my camera ever since I moved here in 2007. And there are always new places waiting to be discovered, and familiar places to be seen in new light.

But the initial novelty and excitement have long since worn off. Over the years I’ve amassed tens of thousands of local images, and these days I photograph Sussex occasionally. That’s usually when the atmospheric conditions and seasonal changes present some unique opportunities, as I have no personal interest in purely documentary photography.

Night falls at the Three Graces on Liverpool Waterfront

Still, I haven’t lost my zest and zeal for exploration and discovery. A change of environment often foments creativity. For that reason I love to travel, both within the UK and overseas, and do it as often as the circumstances allow.

Exploring Britain

A long-term photographic project of mine has been the systematic exploration of Britain. With a special focus on less popular and unsung locations. It’s likely a lifelong endeavour, as the supply of those is virtually limitless. So there’s always something new to spark my creativity and reawaken the sense of wonder. I strive to add imagery of new destinations to the growing pool of pictures year after year.

Sadly, owing to a couple of injuries I struggled with I didn’t manage to take a single trip anywhere in 2023. To make up for that setback, this year I was luckily able to find the time and relatively favourable weather to organise several excursions. In the span of about five weeks in late spring I visited Liverpool, Lincoln, Canterbury, and Tenby in South Wales.

Spring morning at Giltar Point near Penally, Pembrokeshire, Wales

My stays at each of those places were short, but very intense. Those were some of the longest days of the year. In order to seize every opportunity to capture something out of the ordinary, I had to wake up at 3-30am. And I would go to sleep around 11pm. Each time I came back home exhausted.

But although I didn’t witness a single spectacular sunrise or sunset, and the weather was often uninspiring, overall all four trips proved productive. A select few of the resulting images will probably appear at the Gallery shortly, most likely in the form of greeting cards.

Below I’m sharing my impressions of each location (in chronological order).

Liverpool

As I get older, I like cities less and less (and I grew up in one). But despite its metropolitan character, Liverpool made a very positive impression on me. The city centre felt hospitable and well-kept, and was compact enough to be easily explored on foot. I was surprised at the amount of live music everywhere, especially given that my stay fell on weekdays.

The mixture of new, old and even older architecture in the city offered many photographic opportunities. I found the waterfront and dockland area particularly interesting and inspiring. But there were also many interesting landmarks and angles to be had in the centre.

This was my first visit to the city (and to the North East in general), but probably not the last.

Lincoln

Another first for me. I’d never been to Lincoln, Lincolnshire, or the East Midlands in general. Naturally, I was very curious and my head was constantly spinning during the journey, taking in the scenery and trying to assess its photographic potential.

While Lincolnshire is fairly flat throughout, the old part of Lincoln is situated on very steep hill. The medieval street leading up to the iconic Cathedral and the castle is aptly named Steep Hill. And it lives up to its name – it’s steeper and any street in Brighton.

Unsurprisingly, I found that area – Uphill Lincoln – most inspiring and so it yielded most of the images I took in the city. The rest of it wasn’t particularly interesting from a photographic perspective. But like Liverpool, it looked well maintained and prosperous. Although the ubiquitous techno beats oozing from clubs in the centre were less endearing than live performances in the Beatles’ city.

Canterbury

I had spent an afternoon in Canterbury over a decade before. What I saw back then and the handful of images took piqued my interest and I’ve been vaguely planning a longer trip ever since. It finally came to fruition in late May of this year.

I found Canterbury the most photographically frustrating of all these four destinations. Although there is clearly a lot of historic substance, the spatial arrangement and available vantage points made it difficult to do the city justice in photographs. Scaffolds generously strewn across the historic centre compounded the challenges. In particular at the cathedral, of which I was unable to take any meaningful pictures.

The city was also crawling with tourists and food couriers on scooters, which further raised the bar. I did manage to find a few oases of calm though thankfully, especially the areas along the river Stour just outside the city walls.

Tenby

This was my first ever visit to Wales, and it was long overdue! Tenby is a seaside resort of only about 5000 inhabitants. In mid June it wasn’t yet overridden by tourists. With its small-town traditional ambience and slow pace of life, Tenby made me feel most at home of all the places in this series of trips. The emblematic colourful houses around the Harbour created the impression of a living postcard.

I was expecting to do some “proper” landscape photography on this occasion, inasmuch as I was on the coast and in the countryside. But the weather was mostly bland and the sun rising and setting at inopportune angles this time of year. That didn’t create the best conditions for landscape, and so instead I focused my efforts mainly on the town itself.

Still, it was a rewarding and fruitful outing, which only whetted my appetite to see other places in Wales. I’m hoping to plan more trips to this beautiful part of the UK in the not-too-distant future…