I finally got the shot.
So last Saturday, February 23rd,
The Sunshine Coast of Eastbourne delivered yet again and we were blessed with a beautifully sunny (and warmish) day…. which meant one thing, time to get the shorts out.
I was skateboarding into town for a much needed coffee, while I edited some photos from a recent photoshoot. After I had finished a bit of work and was fully caffeinated, I went along to the pier where I noticed the paragliders were gliding around up Beachy Head. Now to give a bit of context, I moved to Eastbourne last April and have been absolutely desperate to photograph them, but each time I see the gliders in the distance I am either busy doing something or by the time I manage to get up there I just miss them.
So this leads me to skate like a mad man towards Holywell and then with camera and skateboard in each hand begin the long and very steep walk up to Beachy Head. Now the weight of camera gear, my backpack and skateboard all combined, is an easy 10KG and my brisk walk has me looking like every British person crossing the road quickly (which is like a weird little run walk we all do) So all this mixed with a fairly warm day has me looking slightly hot! So I apologise to anyone who might have seen a crazy sweaty skateboarder on a mission this day, but it was all worth it!
As I made it up to the top of the cliffs, all the gliders seemed to disappear and I thought I had missed them, but thankfully they began to take flight again! I patiently waited to get that perfect shot I’d been after.... a glider just above the pier and after a while, I finally got the shot. I took some more photos and captured some video but mainly I took in the incredible view on a beautiful day. Bright blue sea, white chalk cliffs and the gliders floating around like little insects across the sky, every now and then, they would swoop low by the trees or twist and turn in the air and it was just so peaceful watching them. I absolutely love living by the sea and moments like this make me appreciate how lucky I am to be here.
While I was watching the paragliders, I chatted to a woman about the Eastbournians Facebook Page and we both totally didn’t realise who each other were! (I was the videographer at her sons wedding!) Such a small world we live in that even on the edge of a cliff at the end of the country we still bump into people.
After realising the time and totally forgetting I had to pick my partner up from work, I had to rush all the way back home and was just as sweaty as on the way up!
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Check out the paragliding photos here.
Also if your interested watch this short video I made too.