This is the view from my window. Every day since lockdown began I’ve been walking across the road in front of my house and sitting on the bench on the other side to do this kind of meditation for 20 minutes, get my fresh air for the day and take a photograph of the sea.

I moved to live by the sea 20 years ago because when I’m working I am normally in conflict zones, which are tense and stressful places, so when I come back I need peace and I find the sea really helpful. I am not sure if the sea reflects my mood or the mood of the sea is reflected in me but there is definitely a reciprocity of some kind. Often I’ll wake up feeling a bit flat and I look at the sea and find it is a bit flat and grey too. This picture was taken on one of those days.

I’m in isolation on my own. It would be nice to have company but I guess photographers are loners by nature. I’ve been cooking relentlessly – it’s my way to relax – and the button burst off my trousers last week, so I’ll have to watch that.

I’m spending the rest of the time trying to be useful. Through the charity I run, Legacy of War Foundation, I’ve set up a group called Hastings Supports the NHS and we’ve been providing free transport for NHS staff, buying PPE and hand sanitisers for them. It’s been great because the whole community has got involved.

We’re going to auction a print of this photograph to raise more money. I still shoot on film, and by chance one of the world’s best darkroom printers, Robin Bell, lives around the corner from me. So I left the roll of film on my windowsill, and he popped around to collect it and brought back this print a few hours later. LO’K

11 Leading photographers share their Lockdown lens read them here.