Low Tide | Weekly Photo #104
Once or twice a year, I take a visit down to England’s south coast and try to capture a new photo of the derelict remains of Brighton’s West Pier. There’s something about what’s left of this once grand Victorian structure that captivates me, drawing me back to photograph its skeletal frame, stripped of the ornate skin it once wore proudly.
How did the pier end up in this sorry state? After falling into disrepair, eventually closing to the public in the 1970s and suffering further damage during the storm of ‘87, it was eventually sold to the West Pier Trust who managed to secure funding for its restoration. In 2002, before the restoration could begin, the pier suffered further storm damage followed by two devastating fires in 2003, leading to the funding being withdrawn in 2004. Since this time, the structure is slowly being reclaimed by the sea.
Fujifilm XT2 | XF10-24mm | 10mm | 105 Seconds | f/9 | ISO200
When you're finished here, why not pop by and check out some of the other photos I took of the West Pier.
Last September, I decided to head down to the coast once again to photograph the West Pier at sunset. I prefer to photograph the structure at low tide as I can get a little closer and I like the way the fallen metal fragments look, scattered around the base of the pier. So, when planning the shoot, I was sure to check the tide times as well as the weather and when both were aligned, off I went to photograph the pier.
Every now and then the tide is so low that you can right out to the pier which just happened to be the case on this particular evening. When I arrived to take the shot, the beach was full of people enjoying the low tide and close access to the pier. As I wandered around looking for the best spot to take the picture, it became clear to me that if I was going to get a clean photo, free of distractions, I needed to get as close as I could to the pier and that meant only one thing…. wet feet!
After venturing further out towards the pier, avoiding the deeper pools of water, I found my spot which provided a central composition of the structure now towering above me. Up went my tripod, mounted with my Fujifilm XT2 and given how close I needed to be to the pier, I was going to need the widest focal length I had, so on went the wide-angle 10-24mm lens. It was always my intention to take a long exposure photo so when set up and composed, I mounted my 10-stop ND filter which would help me smooth out the shallow water and any clouds in the sky, removing any distractions, making the subject appear more prominent in the scene.
Ready to take the shot, I just had one more thing left to do and that was to wait for the scene to be clear enough of people to get the clean shot. With a 105 second exposure, as long as people kept moving through the frame, they would be rendered invisible but the minute they stopped, the image was ruined, so after four or five failed attempts, I managed to grab an image just as the best light was beginning to fade away.
This is probably my favourite photo of the West Pier I’ve taken to date. I love the wispy details of the sand under the water, complemented by similar shapes created by the clouds in the sky. The sunset colours are subtle and not too overpowering, and the smooth, distraction-free water really helps the pier stand out in the composition.
The West Pier has actually been on quite a journey, from its golden age in the early 20th century, storms, fires to finally what little remains there today, yet it still stands. It’s hard not to be inspired by its refusal to crumble into the sea as I stand there, feet submerged, taking photos of it.
Until next week.
Trevor
This post is featured in my Weekly Photo series where I post a new photo every Monday. To have this delivered directly to your inbox, you can subscribe to the mailing list here.