Look, Photograph, Record

After 16 years of photographing the groyne post tops, the process of taking the photographs begins even before I go to the beach, with a spreadsheet. A new template is produced each year giving an overview of what has been previously recorded.

I identify any post tops that were hidden in previous years and determine a strategy to photograph and record the post tops. I check the tide is low and the weather is favourable. Armed with notebook and camera, I go to the beach.

I find the numbered groyne and systematically photograph the visible and accessible post tops of that groyne. I record the groyne photographed, the date and anything noteworthy about the condition of the post tops.

Then I return to my studio and upload my photographs to computer, organising the images by year and groyne number. After this, I back up the data sets.

Then I review the notebook and update the spreadsheet, recording the history of documenting that groyne set. Post tops worthy of further investigation and any changes that have taken place are noted.

I determine both expected and unexpected patterns of change, able to read the stories of change offered as a result of my intimate and long-term relationship with each post top.

This process can take anywhere between 12 to 24 hours depending upon the number of post tops photographed that day.