A celebration of the skeleton in the sea – a true Brighton icon.
Our new exhibition – 3rd April – 6th July 2026
Steve Boyle
Steve Boyle has been taking photographs for 40 years, beginning with a love for black and white darkroom work. His work has been widely exhibited in the UK and abroad.
He was President of Brighton and Hove Camera Club for 3 years and an invited member of the London Salon of Photography. Steve has also been a member of the Royal Photographic Society Distinctions team for 20 years.
He mainly sees himself as a street photographer but prefers to follow his own instincts rather than stick to any rigid rules. He often shares his knowledge and experience via photo talks around the country, runs Photographic Workshops in Shoreham-by-Sea (where he now lives) and wrote monthly features on photography for the INSIDE Shoreham and Southwick magazine.
In 2001, Steve went on one of the last ever tours of the West Pier. It feels appropriate that six of the skeletal images that he made on that day are being exhibited at the West Pier Centre. His connection to the pier goes back to fond childhood memories of his Nan taking him to shows there. His most memorable were Alan Gale’s Old Time Musicals. The demise of the West Pier was therefore very upsetting for him.
Ian Hughes
Ian Hughes has been an avid street photographer for nearly 40 years with an eye for capturing the quirkier side of life.
His love for photography began at Wallasey art college near Liverpool in 1986, where he was tutored by the acclaimed Irish born street photographer Tom Wood. He spent most of the 1990s as a cruise ship photographer based mostly in Miami. At the end of every cruise, he would pick out any unsold passenger photos that made him laugh. This collection of photos went on to be published and exhibited around the world under the title ‘Love Boat Rejects’ – over twenty years after he had returned to dry land.
Ian moved to Brighton in 1997 because he knew that there would be an endless supply of photo opportunities – and he has not been disappointed. In recent years, he has concentrated more on long exposure night photography. His series of floodlit football ground photos has been featured in the Guardian, Amateur Photographermagazine and various publications oversees.
He was a finalist in the International Street Photographer 2012 Award at the London Festival of Photography and was selected as one of online magazine Lens Culture’s ‘Fifty Emerging Talents Worldwide for 2015’.
The West Pier has provided an atmospheric backdrop to many of his pictures of every day life in Brighton over the years, and its unique structure has made it an ideal subject for his night photography too. He is delighted to have this opportunity to exhibit these photos along with his friend of over 25 years Steve Boyle.
