Stormy Starts and Creative Sparks: Kicking Off 2025 by the Sea

 Happy 2025!

I kicked off the new year with an early start, considering it was New Year’s Day. The weather forecast promised a storm, with winds ranging from 30 to 70 mph—conditions I usually relish for a pinhole photography adventure. My original plan was to venture deeper into Kent, but with the impending storm and rain expected later in the morning, I decided to stick closer to home and headed to Hastings instead.

Upon arrival, I was struck by how dim the light was—almost nonexistent—requiring longer exposures than usual. While I typically embrace the challenge of lengthy exposures, the strong winds and 60 mph gusts posed a significant obstacle. Shooting with Fomapan 400, my metered exposures were around 2–3 minutes, which wouldn’t normally be an issue. However, in these conditions, the relentless gusts hitting the camera it would inevitably result in blurry images. Reluctantly, I decided to forgo using my pinhole camera altogether.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson and maybe a news years resolution: always have a backup plan. I’d considered bringing along my trusty RB67 or even packing my old Yashica D TLR, both of which would have been better suited for the day’s challenges. Recently, I’ve also been experimenting with long exposures using my GoPro and a 10-stop filter, but unfortunately I didn't have the filter with me.

Instead, I took a short walk  along the beach and made the best of the situation, capturing a few shots with my GoPro Hero 12. While not what I originally envisioned for the day, it was still a rewarding way to kick off 2025 and reflect on how preparation can make all the difference in pursuing creative endeavors.

Heading home, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction despite my unproductive morning. Simply getting up early and being by the seafront felt like a fantastic way to start the day. However, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the chore that awaited me—cleaning up from the small party we’d had with the kids the night before. Once we’d tackled the mess and the house was back in order, we decided to head down to the local seafront again.

The kids were eager to test out their new RC cars and have some fun with their skateboards in the gusty wind. This gave me a second chance to embrace the stormy weather creatively. This time, I came prepared, bringing along my 10-stop filter to attach to my GoPro. It was the perfect setup for capturing some dramatic long exposures of the waves crashing onto the beach.

I’ve always enjoyed the look of long exposures, which might explain why pinhole photography has always appealed to me. The GoPro has proven to be an incredibly handy tool for this. Sure, it’s not going to deliver the highest quality images, but for me, photography isn’t always about perfection—it’s about the joy and satisfaction of creating something unique. You don’t need a camera worth thousands of pounds to achieve that.

With the GoPro’s ability to take exposures of up to 30 seconds, it offers plenty of creative possibilities. This morning’s shots, however, were much shorter—just 3 to 5 seconds—perfect for capturing a subtle sense of motion in the water.

Definitely a wet feet moment! While on a sea defense looking down at the beach below, a wave caught me off guard. Holding onto the camera during the long exposure, I decided to embrace my fate—wet feet, legs, and backside included!

Recently, I’ve also been using my GoPro paired with a 10-stop filter at theme parks, inspired by my earlier Pinhole series. This time of year, the light makes pinhole exposures far too long at the parks, so the GoPro and filter have become my go-to setup. I’ll be sharing more about these experiments soon, so be sure to follow along and stay tuned for future posts!

As the rain came and we headed home, the morning’s challenges and small victories set the tone for the year ahead. Photography, much like life, is about adaptability and finding joy in the unexpected moments. Even when plans don’t work out as intended, there’s always something to be gained—whether it’s a new perspective, a creative experiment, or simply the satisfaction of being present.

Here’s to embracing those moments in 2025. May this year bring plenty of opportunities to create, explore, and celebrate the little things that make life meaningful. Happy New Year, and thank you for following along on this journey—there’s so much more to come!

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