There isn’t a big story behind these photographs. It’s Frinton at a quieter time of year, outside the busy summer months, and I wanted to see what caught my eye with the X Pro2.
Looking through the set, there’s a familiar theme. Rows of beach huts, repeated rooflines, steps and lines leading across the sand. Then there are the people using those spaces, walking along the beach or stopping to look out to sea.
It’s a different setting from London, but I can see a lot of the same interests in the photographs.
Repeated shapes along the seafront
The beach huts are an obvious place to start. Their colours change along the row, but the roofs and doorways keep repeating. In some frames, the timber groynes lead your eye towards them. In others, steps divide up the scene.
Those lines give the photographs a structure. The sand, faded paint and weathered timber add texture around it, so it doesn’t feel too neat or formal.
I’ve included closer details as well as the wider views. Angled supports in the sand caught my attention as much as the rows of huts. Ordinary things, but part of what the place looks like when you slow down enough to notice them.
People within the space
The other part of the set is about life down the beach.
Two people stand at the railing looking out over the water. Others cross the sand or walk along the promenade, with shadows stretching beside them. These are the little moments and silhouettes I wanted to show.
Even as the days get colder, people are still using the seaside. It’s quieter and less touristy, but it hasn’t stopped being somewhere people spend their time.
Lines that lead somewhere
In the wider photographs, there’s plenty of space around the figures. The horizon, the sea wall and the groynes help give that space its shape.
A line across the beach can lead towards a person, or simply give your eye a route through the frame. The people are often small, but they still matter. They turn the photograph from a view of the beach into a moment happening there.
That’s the connection I see between this set and the London photographs. Whether it’s concrete walkways or timber on the sand, I’m drawn to lines, patterns and the way people fit into their environment.
Photographing a quieter seaside
These were taken on the Fujifilm X Pro2 using the same Portra inspired settings as the London set. The beach huts, sand and sea give those settings a different range of colours to work with.
I’ve shared the recipe separately, but these photographs are really about the place. A few colours, a few shapes, and people getting on with their day beside the sea.
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