I’ve documented the Remembrance Service for many years. This year it was cold, wet and windy on New Brighton promenade. I wasn’t sure how many people would come out in such conditions but it was a busy service. People were here to pay respects for lives lost.

I saw a dog in the corner of my eye. His owner gave him a pat on the back and a smile. I looked around and saw another man sheltering his dog from the wind. The poor thing was shivering. Beyond that I saw people talking, shaking hands and doing the unexpected. Smiling. People were smiling on this cold, wet, windy November day at the Remembrance Service. It’s not an aspect you ever see on the TV or in the paper, not that I’ve seen anyway. It’s a somber event to pay respects and yet people were smiling.

They were smiling because they were telling stories, sharing moments and meeting for the first time in a while. They were playing with their kids and stroking their dogs. I reminded myself why I was here and what I do so I took some photos because at the end of the day people have died so we could go out in the cold with our families and our dogs to smile with friends.