I have been commissioned again by Aldeburgh Music to photograph a couple of events taking place in Aldeburgh, Suffolk as part of the Aldeburgh Festival.

These beach events epitomise for me performance at its best and most relaxed. The audience can pretty much sit, stand or move about anywhere - and no one bats an eyelid if you make a sandcastle, throw a stick for your dog or tuck into your fish and chips as you watch. It is just about as chilled as a Sunday morning should be.

Weather wise last Sunday was perfect in terms of the quality of the light - those well defined, heavy grey brooding clouds interspersed with shafts of intense sunlight that you get just before a downpour so typical of  this time of year.  Perfect for photography in Aldeburgh with it’s wonderful seafront houses, long flat beach and vast sky.

The performance was all about Semaphore - a new term to me but basically involves using flags as an alternative conducting tool. All ages dispersed themselves out across the beach with their instruments and responded to the movements of Duncan Chapman (who wrote the piece).  A series of drawing apart and coming together, doing your own thing and being part of a whole:  I couldn’t help thinking Pears and Britten would have approved..

There’s something about tubas and sousophones  - rather like clowns they make you feel happy and sad at the same time. Must be combination of size, shape and sound… but there’s also a dignity about them I think.