Happy New Year!
Ahh, how quickly Christmas and New Year comes and goes. And my birthday, which was on Tuesday 8th (thank you, thank you; you’re too kind). We’re hoping the mince-pie-guilt isn’t weighing too heavily (I swear I only had one, the other 6 were eaten by Father Christmas!). So lots of presents and good tidings all round. That is, until January. When it’s all over, and there is a bleak mid-winter to struggle through. Sigh. But it’s not all bad news, as at least we have our fabulous LoveBrighton Flickr page to lighten our days and brighten our horizons with photos of the seafront and, well, Brighton horizons.
The images shared in our Flickr pool are becoming more and more atmospheric as the winter rolls on, with the weather and lights providing interesting shadows and colours throughout the city. And speaking of lights, the theme for December’s competition was Love Lights, LoveBrighton! We had some beautiful shots with the rainy weather providing some interesting colour reflections, especially in our winner’s photograph of the Royal Pavilion:
Taken by Philbychan, the purple lights on the Royal Pavilion are just beautiful, and the water droplets and light reflections almost look like baubles! Ice-skating at the Royal Pavilion is definitely a Christmas treat, and its intricate stonework is wonderfully contrasted in this photo. Philbychan has won vouchers to spend at the gorgeous, and equally purple, Lavender Room in Brighton’s North Laine.
He has also written about his winning photo:
This is the wettest I have ever been whilst taking a photo. I'd just come off the ice (shallow swimming pool) after spending an hour not giving in to the increasingly heavy rain.
About 5 minutes before my time was up I decided to go as fast as I could (seeing as this was only my second time on the ice I suddenly felt like an expert) only to fall flat on my side in about 3 cm of water. If I wasn't wet already then I certainly was now.
Went inside whilst the rain picked up even more and took the opportunity to peer through the window as the next group of skaters awaited their time on the water.
Snapped the Pavilion in all its glory with some lovely out of focus water drops on the plastic windows. Went home and lit the wood burner!
I've been in Brighton for about 17 years and became a photographer of the place after getting my first digital camera around 2005. I have more recently been using my photographs to create circular collages in the form of mandalas; have a look here: www.mandalaman.co.uk
There's always something to photograph in Brighton, the place is always changing and growing, some parts dying to make way for the new, but all of it great to photograph. I think I get drawn to the iconic aspects of Brighton which is certainly evident in the artwork I create.
And so, another year another Flickr competition. The theme of January’s competition is Love Architecture, LoveBrighton.
So get those lenses focused on the quaint, the grand and the modern structures throughout Brighton & Hove and get sharing on our LoveBrighton Flickr page!
Happy snaps, chaps!
The older and wiser, Siobhan :)
