This is very much an impromptu series of images that wasn’t at all pre-planned.

On the spare of the moment I decided to spend a couple of hours or so on our nearest shoreline, Ainsdale near Southport. My hope was to photograph the incoming tide and craft patterns from the rise of fall of the waves however the light, weather and my own state of mind did not conspire to make it happen.

After sitting with the beach for a while, and grabbing a few shots with my iPhone I was all set to return home without even getting my Canon out. Then I realised I was surrounded by dead leaves. Sand encrusted, very dark fallen leaves of oak, sycamore, beech, willow, birch and more. What really grasped my attention was the impact the feather-weight leaves had on the beach around them.

The shadows played with the light and the organic straight veins contrasted with the chaotic granularity of the sand. However what really intrigued me was the patterns created around the leaves by the wash of the tide. That something so small, so lightweight, ephemeral and dead could carve furrows and troughs was very telling and spoke to me of hope in a changing world that we, you and I, can make a difference if we but try.

This work has now become a small bespoke Concertina Book and will be available to purchase to order soon.