Just Look Up

It’s astounding just how much goes unseen. As Derren Brown has demonstrated in highly entertaining ways on television, people don’t really look at what’s in front of them. This is especially true of things above us. This photo (click on it to view it larger), for example, was taken while I was out photographing Shoreham Harbour one morning late last year when the sunrise light was beautiful, the sky was perfect, and the air quality gave everything a crispness that was breathtaking. At the end of my shoot, I decided to visit the Shoreham Lighthouse that I’d seen over and over again as a child. When I looked up at it, I saw things I’d never seen before, despite the fact that my eyes had undoubtedly received light reflected from their surfaces at numerous past times. The little “Brighton dolphins” (which always look more like gurnards) and the scallop shells came as a huge surprise. So, wanting to show everyone, I zoomed in and snapped this one. I hope you enjoy seeing architectural detail that’s been seen by few people, and that you also feel inspired to look upwards when your eyes might otherwise miss what’s above your head.