We've just been through a series of storms designated Dudley, Eunice and Franklin that came so hard on each other's heels that they seemed like one single storm.

Eunice, a week ago, was extremely strong, and generated a red weather warning over the whole of southern England — a rare event. I had been planning to go down to the beach at Dover to photograph waves as they pounded into the pier: but, once the weather warning was upgraded to red, I decided not to. Instead, I stayed home, listened to the wind and rain wondering if any of our fences and trees would be left standing (to my amazement, they all survived unscathed). Best of all, I joined a large YouTube audience for Big Jet TV and watched the inimitable Jerry Dyer commentate on the aircraft landing at Heathrow — (aircraft wobbles in the wind as it crabs in) "Easy, son, EASY! Take it easy!" (plane lands) "Bosh!"

When Franklin came through shortly after, I could not resist the urge to photograph some waves. The winds were not as strong as Eunice (yellow wind warning, only), and the direction of the wind had changed so that the energy would no longer hit the pier side-on. Instead, while the tide was rising, the wind was against it: good conditions for energetic breakers.

I took the D810 and 500PF down to Dover and spent a blustery hour photographing the waves, aiming to get the feeling of movement and energy by panning with a slow shutter speed. I used 1/5-1/10 sec exposures, hand-held in a gale with a 500mm lens. This is statistical shooting: "I don't advise it, you understand, but it can be done."

Anyhow, here are a few of the pictures that I like and that I think give an impression of wave energy (click on any of the pictures to embiggen).