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Brighton West Pier
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Brighton West Pier



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The ever decaying West Pier at sunset.

The ever decaying West Pier at sunset.
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cameraCanon EOS 550D

settings Aperture 8/1 ISO 100 Shutter 20/1 Focal Length 18/1 

upload_dateDec, 2016

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2030

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10 Comments |
MRueffer PRO+
 
MRueffer June 14, 2017
Congratulations!!
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling June 14, 2017
Thank you!
rose12
 
rose12 June 14, 2017
congrats on winning!
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling June 15, 2017
Thank you!
livioferrari PRO+
 
livioferrari June 14, 2017
Congratulations!
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling June 15, 2017
Many thanks!
jeffjacobson Platinum
 
jeffjacobson June 15, 2017
You have the magic touch, fantastic photography ! Wow did you have a lot of competition.....stunning shot! Congratulations! Jeff
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling June 18, 2017
Thank you so much for your kind words! I get to go out and shoot pics nowhere near often enough. To come out tops in this competition was utterly surprising to me. I'm still pinching myself!
dannad2
 
dannad2 June 27, 2017
Yah
josephvellanal
 
josephvellanal August 26, 2017
Great! Amazing photo!
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling August 27, 2017
Many thanks!
rosiecole
 
rosiecole August 27, 2017
Great shot! Been to Brighton many times! Really lovely colours in this photo too :)
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling August 28, 2017
Thank you Rosie! Love the place, just don't get to the U.K. often enough!
Alfredo_Jose
 
Alfredo_Jose December 22, 2017
Excellent composition!
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling October 29, 2019
thank you!
Byronfairphotography PRO+
 
Byronfairphotography July 29, 2019
Beautiful scene.
DoroGosling Ultimate
DoroGosling October 29, 2019
many thanks!
Kakief
 
Kakief October 15, 2021
Wow, stunning!

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Tags

#landscape #architecture #sunset
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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Brighton, UK and and is in fact only my second ever photo using an ND filter! I had seen photos of Brighton West Pier online, and of course the pier itself, when I still lived in the UK. After the fires, all that remains is this wonderful, rusty structure; and each year, after the winter storms, there's a little less of it. I wanted to capture these rather fragile looking cast iron remains of what used to be an iconic seaside entertainment location with the setting sun illuminating it. So when a business trip to the south of the UK came up, and I realized that I could make the schedule work to include a visit to Brighton in the evening, I got to work with Photo Pills and TPE.

Time

This was taken in summer at 9:15 pm, as I wanted to have the light from the setting sun illuminate the rusty remains of the pier. I'm glad I arrived a couple of hours early, to scout my planned vantage point. That proved to be a good thing, as I hadn't realized a big building site had sprung up, right were I had planned on standing. So instead of casually strolling along the beach and simply stopping in a convenient place, I had to climb some boulders and stone filled sacks that were supporting the fence around the building site. In all, it was a little precarious! But also good fun!!

Lighting

Given I was only going to have that one evening for this particular photo, I was extremely lucky! The sky looked beautiful, and the setting sun enveloped everything into a red and golden glow. I think it's quite befitting the subject.

Equipment

At the time I used my Canon EOS 550D, I believe it's known as the Rebel T2 in the US along with one of the kit lenses (EF-S 18-55mm f 3.5 - 5.6 IS) at 18mm focal length. Aperture was at f 8.0, ISO 100, Haida slim ND 3.0 filter, 20 sec exposure on a ToGoPod tripod. No flash.

Inspiration

I had always wanted to take a photo of the West Pier in Brighton. In so many ways, it's such an iconic construction. Once a famed entertainment venue, it has since burnt down and its cast iron skeleton left to the elements. There's an eerie beauty about it, and if I lived in the UK, I would probably take a photo from the same vantage point every year, documenting its fading away.

Editing

To my utter amazement, not many tweaks were required. I increased exposure slightly, had to do a tiny bit of leveling out, and applied profile correction. Everything else is as shot.

In my camera bag

At the time of taking this photo, I only had one DSLR, the Canon 550D / Rebel T2. Today, this is my backup, with my Canon 7D Mk II being the main work horse. I'm still experimenting with lenses, but I usually have a Sigma 10-20 mm f 4-5.6 DC HSM for landscapes, Canon EF-S 24 MM f 2.8, Canon EF 50 mm f1.8 and my EF-S 55-250 F 4-5.6 with me. If I'm photographing landscapes or water, I'll always carry my circular polarizer and a few Lee 100 filters with me. I only have their starter pack plus a landscape polarizer, and am hoping to gradually build up. And then there's of course my tripod, 3LeggedThing's Albert Equinox in carbon fibre with the AirHed 360. It's really sturdy, stable and can take quite some weight.

Feedback

Shoot something that resonates with you at an emotional level. That may sound 'drippy' to some, but I believe that if you listen to how a scene or object resonates with you, it will help you decide how you want to shoot it. Everything has a character, and that is wildly subjective. The sea on that day was quite rough, and on the following morning it was almost blowing a storm. If I had wanted to show not so much a nostalgic picture, but one that shows how the pier keeps resisting everything the harsh elements have to throw at it defiantly, I would have picked that kind of weather - and likely a different time of year. And then plan. In my case, photography is a hobby that I need to fit around my work schedule. So it's important to me that I make the best use of the time I have available and get the results I hope for. And most importantly: Enjoy!

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