In the summer of 2024, I embarked on an artistic journey to create a series of long-exposure seascapes titled "Leaving the Land."
I have been focused primarily on the English North Sea coast, exploring areas from Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire to Whitby in Yorkshire and Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. This journey covered several regions, including Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland, paying homage to the inshore coastal stations of the BBC's Shipping Forecast.
Additionally, the series features images of the coasts of Sussex, Norfolk, Scotland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
About the series
The sea is a vast expanse, seemingly empty. This emptiness calms your body and mind. However, the sea is often unpredictable, shifting from exceptionally violent to remarkably tranquil or any temperament in between. It provides a sense of peace as you walk along the shore and breathe in the fresh air. As you gaze into the distance, the sea frees your mind of thoughts.
In Leaving the Land, photographer Estelle Slegers Helsen takes you on a journey along the coast and captures what your eyes see as they move from land out to sea. Her photographs evoke the liminal place where land and sea meet. The square format constrains the wide-angle view and triggers your imagination.
She creates a soothing depiction of the sea through long-exposure photography, embodying stillness, serenity and simplicity. The images evoke dreamy scenes filled with abstract geometric patterns that our eyes can’t see and our brains can’t imagine. Moving objects and people become translucent or disappear. Waves and water transform into an ethereal seascape, creating a misty, magical world that contrasts with static elements like piers, lighthouses, groynes, breakwaters, rocks and offshore wind turbines. The visible becomes invisible while your eyes focus on what you can’t see.
A selection
The Wash, Lincolnshire
Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire
Spittal, Northumberland
Access to the photo gallery
Gallery owners and curators interested in displaying photographs of the series can get access to the Leaving the Land photo gallery. Please use the contact page to get in touch.