Postcards from Brighton: A Weekend Through My Lens
Brighton Calling: What Drew Me Here?
Last weekend, with my husband away on a cycling trip in France, I found myself with the perfect excuse for a solo adventure. Having grown up by the sea in South Devon, I’ve always been drawn to the coast. And with the weather forecast promising wall-to-wall sunshine, it felt like the ideal time to combine my love for the shore with my on-going quest to improve my photography skills - so I booked myself onto the Royal Photographic Society's Long Exposure Workshop in Brighton.
After arriving by train and dropping my bags off at my hotel (details of which I’ll save for another post), I headed straight to the seafront, camera in hand. My first instinct was simply to sit on the shingle beach, breathe in the fresh sea air and watch the world go by. And my immediate impression of this East Sussex city? Busy, buzzy and a people-watching paradise.
London day-trippers mingled with tourists and locals. Despite the rather blustery wind that sprinkled salty sea spray across my skin, people were undeterred - laying out their towels, putting up windbreaks and sunbathing on the beach. Overhead meanwhile, squawking seagulls patrolled the pebbles, ever-ready to pounce on a dropped chip or forgotten sandwich.
Brighton’s Must-Sees: Piers & Seafront Style
After a short while, I decided to stretch my legs. I was particularly drawn to the West Pier, keen to capture it both in bright sunlight and during the softer light of dusk. Following two fires in 2003, all that now remains is its eerie blackened skeletal frame, yet it’s easy to see why it’s Brighton’s most photographed landmark.
Heading towards Hove from the West Pier, I came across this ornate cast iron Bandstand with its intricate decorative details. It’s known locally as the Birdcage.
Meanwhile strolling in the other direction along the promenade brought me to the Palace Pier, our meeting place for the workshop later.
Where to Pause: From Artisan Coffee to Fairytale Palaces & Seaside Views
Heading back to the West Pier, I came across Brighton i360, Europe’s tallest moving viewing platform, which offers a bird’s eye view of Brighton’s coastline.
At the platform’s base is Brighton Photography gallery, where you can browse stunning photographs of Brighton and the neighbouring South Downs - including some incredible images taken in the sea by owner Finn Hopson! Entry is free and it’s open every day except Tuesdays. I highly recommend popping in. I couldn’t resist buying one of Finn’s beautiful prints, which I’ll share a link to at the end of this blog post.
If you’re feeling peckish, the nearby Flour Pot Bakery does great food - I particularly enjoyed a toasted Caprese sandwich. For those with a sweet tooth, ice cream from Gelato Gusto is not to be missed, especially their chocolate flavour. After all, is there anything lovelier than eating a tub of delicious ice cream in the warm sunshine whilst gazing out to sea?
Venturing inland, pop into the cafe at Bond Street Coffee if you fancy a mid-morning coffee. It’s the perfect pitstop before exploring the nearby Royal Pavilion, King George IV’s opulent seaside retreat.
My Lens: Long Exposure, Calm Waters & Creative Flow
Later, I joined the photography workshop - the real purpose of my Brighton visit. Our goal was to master long exposure to transform choppy waves into smooth water - a technique I’d never tried before and one I was excited to learn. We'd received a helpful video beforehand explaining all the equipment we'd need to bring along.
Photography Kit
Camera
Wide Angle Lens, e.g. 35mm
ND (Neutral Density) Filters*, e.g. 10 stop and ideally a second weaker one (6 stop or 3 stop)*
Spare Battery
Lens Cloth
The workshop began at 4.30pm with an introduction, then we set up our equipment by the Palace Pier and put all we’d been briefed about into practice. Below you can see the difference that long exposure makes - the left image shows waves captured without an ND filter, while the right demonstrates the ethereal effect achieved with the filter and a slow shutter speed.
As the hours passed, we moved further along the beach towards the West Pier and learnt how to adapt the technique as daylight slowly gave way to dusk.
Final Frame: The Beauty of Slowing Down
This is my final photo, captured just before the sun set around 9.15pm. I love the pale pink wash across the clouds and the striking contrast between the rusty weather-worn pillars and the smooth, serene sea.
I’m so happy with my photographs. Be rest-assured though, there was a lot of trial and error with plenty of under and over-exposed images. Long exposure, I’ve discovered, demands a methodical step-by-step approach that must be followed in a precise order. You really need to slow down your entire photography process - not just in composing the shot, but also waiting, as still as possible, for the time to tick by whilst the camera shutter is open. You need lots of patience, which fortunately I have in abundance.
It would have been very easy to stay at home that weekend. But I’m so glad I made the effort, invested in new kit and attended the workshop. I’ve gained an understanding of what’s involved in long exposure photography. Now comes the real work: putting it all into practice.
Links
I hope this glimpse into my impromptu Brighton getaway has inspired you to plan your own coastal adventure. My hotel review is coming up next, but for now, here are all the links mentioned throughout this post:
Links containing affiliate links are denoted by a '*'. This means that if you click on an affiliate link, go through to the retailer and purchase an item, I will receive a small percentage of your purchase.
Photography | Rona Wheeldon