Worthing Christmas 2023 in Black and White
Backdated entry — rough shooting date: December 2023
Diary info: Camera: Pentax MX; Film Stock: HP5+
The second set of rolls I shot were around my hometown during Christmas 2023. I really enjoy looking back at these rolls. There is a mix of atmospheric shots, snaps of neighbourhoods I grew up in and pure curiosity about random inanimate objects. As with any creative practice, it is easy to get caught up in rules and outside inspiration over time. Every now and then it’s helpful to remind yourself about a time when those didn’t exist.
Walk around town
First, I took a little walk around old neighbourhoods up to the beach. One image of note is the last in the set below. These squiggly lines, inspired by the Superkilen park in Copenhagen, were previously painted on to add some creative flair to the area. However, opinions were divided amongst locals (they might have been better off in Hove…) and just two years later the lines were slated for removal. It seems I unknowingly photographed a small piece of history!
Out on the pier, I spent some time waiting by these windows for a reflection shot (I imagine I was inspired by the Instagrammable reflection photo trends at the time). I still come back to this photo and really enjoy the composition and ghost-like nature of the figures. It works particularly well in black-and-white, although I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.
Foggy South Downs Walk
I take a long walk around the South Downs every Christmas, up to Cissbury Ring. This was an extraordinarily foggy day and made for some beautiful moody black-and-white shots. I distinctly remember having absolutely no idea how the photos would come out, and being very excited for the moment I’d get the scans back.
Shoreham-by-Sea
Next are some photos around Shoreham-by-Sea. When I’m back down South, I tend to take a trip here. Shoreham also has an eclectic collection of houseboats along the river, and this little workshop always catches my eye. I also tend to walk along the River Adur down from Ropetackle.
Finally, my pièce de résistance: the drive-by PIZZA DIVERSION shot. Surprisingly, It has yet to receive any critical acclaim.
