The Red Arrows—otherwise known as the Reds—have enthralled crowds around the world since the early 1960s, becoming a byword for excellence. I have seen them what feels like a million times, yet I am always left in awe of their skill, daring, and split-second precision as they thunder through the skies.

A Long and Storied History

I first saw them in 1967, during an era of black and white. That moment stayed with me—the roar of jet engines, the impossible formations, the sheer spectacle of it all. Even then, I knew I wanted to capture that feeling, the sense of a crowd transfixed by something greater than themselves.

On this particular day, Portsmouth Beach was packed. People stood shoulder to shoulder, heads tilted skyward, eyes locked onto the heavens. It was the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and the air was thick with remembrance. The past and present seemed to blur—the Red Arrows carving through the sky in bold streaks of red, white, and blue, their trails a salute to history.

Contrast In Colour

I wanted this image to reflect that contrast. The crowd in black and white, as though frozen in time, their collective focus sharp and unwavering. Above them, the Red Arrows in full colour, streaking across the sky like a memory that refuses to fade. The division between monochrome and colour wasn’t just a stylistic choice—it was a way to highlight the emotions of the moment, the unity between the spectators and the display above.

Some photographs demand to be taken, and this was one of them. As the jets soared overhead, I framed the shot and pressed the shutter. A fleeting moment, now held still, a tribute to precision and nostalgia, to the past and the present meeting in the skies above Portsmouth.