Chris Killip at the Photographers' Gallery

Yesterday I called briefly into The Photographers' Gallery to have a quick look at this year's Deutsche Borse prize shortlist. I admit that little held my attention this year, but I did really enjoy seeing more work by Chris Killip, whose photographs I have admired for a while - I hope he receives the award.

Killip's black and white images tell of the social history of the fading industries of the North, with work here predominantly showing images of Newcastle and its environs, and North Yorkshire, from the 1970s and 80s.

My favourite are taken from his 'Seacoal' series, examining the lives of the families who lived on and by the beach at Lynemouth, whom he lived with in the early 80s having finally obtained their permission to photograph. Knowing that area as I do, it's astonishingly transformed today, and these images provide a rich archive of a recent social history now completely extinguished.