I was delighted to learn recently that I was the winner of the South West Coast Path’s Photographer of the Year Competition in their special Climate Crisis category. This award was put together to find a photo that best communicated important issues that are threatening the coast path, such as coastal erosion, extreme weather and rising sea levels.

I captured this photograph at Lyme Regis during Storm Ellen in August 2020 – not the time of year we usually expect storms of that feroscity! I positioned myself further down Monmouth Beach than I would usually stand to photograph waves at Lyme Regis and looked backed towards the historic Cobb harbour wall with the wind behind me. 

I was ready just at the right time to capture this huge wave going high above the Marine Aquarium and fisherman’s buildings that are located at the end of the harbour. These buildings helped to provide a sense of scale and highlighted the issues and vulnerabilities of our choices to live and work right on the coastline, with the growing threat of rising sea levels and more frequent and damaging storms. 

The award was judged by Matthew Ponton, Creative Director of Fotonow (CIC) and about my winning image he said, “There’s something really explosive about this image. I love how the nature of the rising wave sits alongside the building, making it look so fragile compared to the sea. The brooding sky above is a reminder that the climate crisis is hanging over us, demanding that we take action.”

My response to winning the award was, “It’s always a privilege to have my work recognised in competitions, particularly when it’s focused on something I care about like the South West Coast Path and climate change. Living on such a dynamic stretch of coastline as the Jurassic Coast, I’ve seen the changes over the last 2 or 3 decades in many of my favourite locations and the increasing intensity and frequency of storms that shape the beaches and cliffs and I hope that climate change is given more focus and urgency over the next few years.”