Storm Over Worthing Pier

Some of my most dramatic coastal images come from storms, and this May evening delivered something truly spectacular. I'd been monitoring the weather all day, watching as storm systems moved up the English Channel toward the Sussex coast. As evening approached and the storm clouds gathered over Worthing, I grabbed my camera and headed down to the seafront.

What unfolded was extraordinary. The storm system created these massive, swirling dark clouds that seemed to boil across the sky, while breaks in the cloud cover allowed dramatic shafts of light to pierce through. I shot four separate exposures over the course of the storm, capturing different moments as the light and clouds shifted, then blended them together to create this final image that conveys the full drama of what I witnessed.

Worthing Pier stood illuminated against this apocalyptic sky, its lights creating beautiful reflections in the wet sand. The contrast between the warm artificial lights and the dark, threatening clouds above creates an almost theatrical scene. You can feel the electricity in the air, that tension before a storm fully breaks. This is coastal photography at its most dynamic—capturing nature's power and unpredictability.

When you look at this photograph, I want you to feel that mixture of excitement and awe that comes from watching a storm roll in over the sea—the raw power of nature on full display above one of West Sussex's most beloved landmarks.