South-Westerly

2nd November 2020

South-Westerly
2nd November 2020

When a south-westerly storm rolls in across the Dorset coast, the sea takes on another dimension. Waves rise and contort like muscle under strain, smashing into one another in a fury of salt and spray. There’s power, yes — but also a sculptural beauty in the chaos.

I spent hours that day on the clifftop, soaked and windburnt, waiting for the right combination of swell and light. South-Westerly is what I came home with: a moment caught in the violence, shaped by the rhythm of the sea and the weight of the air.

And through it all, Toast — my long-suffering companion and storm chaser — stood behind me on the beach, ears lifted like wings in the wind. Unfazed, alert, and entirely in his element. He’s part of this image, even if he isn’t in the waves themselves.