Bexhill photographer launches new book

The shelves of every good bookshop in Sussex are already packed with a rich variety of photographic tributes to our lovely county.

But Bexhill photographer Michael George has an ace up his sleeve. That is the sheer quality of his work behind the camera lens.

Sussex By The Sea is published under his own Monterey Press imprint at £25. It stands out from the rest not just for Michael’s expert eye for camera angles, combining beauty with impact, but his ability to capture the spirit of a town or a landmark.

Nor is this just another anthology of “chocolate box” landscapes and twee towns and villages, gorgeous though his illustration of Kipling’s poetic line about “gnarled and writhen thorn” is, for example.

Michael is an equally adroit people-watcher.

In Bexhill, his camera captures the De La Warr Pavilion via the reflections in its expanse of seaward-facing glass. But it also gives the reader an authentic feel of the community – children playing on the sand, sun-seeking pensioners on a promenade seat, an Observer news-bill.

There are also some surprises. Topless sun-bathers reflect social change at Eastbourne, once vaunted as the “Queen of watering places.”

Sussex By The Sea abounds in vivid cloudscapes, rich colour saturation and intriguing camera angles. Statues ignored by thousands in the daily rush are given texture and life in sun-lit close-up. The humble church fair springs out of the page thanks to a portrait brimming with character.

Michael George was born in Wales, read History at Oxford and was an editor in publishing in London before moving to New York, where he was a freelance photographer.

His previous published works have included The Statue Of Liberty, The Gardens Of Ireland and The Gardens Of Spain.

Old school friend Michael York, in a handsome foreword to the book, sums up Michael George’s skill to a nicety.

“He is a true artist, with the ability to transform the mundane into the exceptional.”

Town Mayor Cllr Stuart Wood together with his Eastbourne counterpart Cllr Carolyn Heaps were guests at a book launch reception at Eastbourne’s Towner gallery on Wednesday (pictured).

PICTURE BY STEVE CURTIS