The National Piers Society has recently announced the Winner of their Photographic Competition 2017 ‘The Enjoyment of Piers’ – as John Rees White from Brighton, with his incredible image of the West Pier, entitled ‘Piering into the Universe’. Says, Paul Saunders one of the Society’s Judges, ‘All of the uploaded entries were worthy of merit and showed a cross section of talent, some beautiful and poetic, some clichéd. Yet the range was an insight into a number of our well know piers, showing their varying states of grandeur or dilapidation and entertainment. John’s image in particular, showed that a lot of planning had gone into it and it certainly paid off. I really liked the isolation of Brighton’s West Pier, and added to that, the drama of the milky way. It had ‘winning shot’ written all over it!’
John Rees White who only first picked up a camera two years ago has spent countless hours since then staring up at the stars atop cliffs in two continents, on beaches, sea shores and farmer’s fields. He has spent just as many hours dedicating himself to developing his craft, challenging himself to find shots even when the conditions were against him, and this has clearly paid off with this winning photograph. ‘I love nothing more than being out in the elements’, John explained, ‘whether shooting urban or further afield. The adventure and exploration can often be as much fun as the shot itself.’
‘Piering into the Universe’ was two years in the planning. The shot was taken around 3am, a few months after John’s second daughter had been born. ‘I’d just handed bottle duty over from the early night shift,’ he says ‘and thought it would be worth a short walk to the seafront to see how things were looking. The sky was perfectly clear, there was almost no wind and the air felt incredible clean. I set up with my Nikon D750 and Sigma 24mm f1.4art lens and managed to grab the shot quite quickly. With the help of my Photopills App I was able to plan my position with ease. 12 seconds at f1.6, a couple of tester shots and there it was!’
Congratulations John!
To see all the winning entries, visit The National Piers Society website For more of John’s work www.john.media @JohnDotMedia
