Blackpool beach

Big Spaces

I like big spaces.

This is Blackpool beach. You see it, and you know it. The view speaks for itself. You don’t need to know the stories or the fame.

The tower rises, stretching into the clouds, a dark silhouette against the fierce light of the sun. The sun is everywhere, filling every corner. People are small, scattered dots across the vastness, and the structures stand firm, showing off their lines, their angles.

There was something about it. Timeless. It could have been last week or twenty years ago. I liked that. It felt honest, and I wanted to catch it.

This wasn’t about genre. I saw the photo. I knew it would speak. The story was there, plain and strong. No tricks. No need for them.

And I knew I’d get away with it.

What did I get away with? The space. It’s endless, and there’s no clear subject. Maybe it’s the tower. Maybe it’s nothing. But it doesn’t matter. The space carries the weight. The scale. The vastness. That’s where the photo lives.

Afterwards, I went for a brew. But first, I pulled the photo up on the camera’s screen. I know you’re not supposed to, but I couldn’t help it. I had to see.

It was a great scene. If it hadn’t worked, I’d have kept shooting.

Big spaces are hard to capture. They’re stubborn that way. But when you get it right? It stays with you.