A PHOTOGRAPH capturing the essence of childhood is among the beautiful images submitted for The Argus’ One Summer’s Day competition.

Readers have also sent in pictures of the flora and fauna of the Downs, dramatic storms over the sea, and street scenes in which you can almost hear the chatter of friends in the summer sunshine.

Jane Goodenough, 56, submitted a photograph of her son Joe, framed against sparkling sea foam.

She said: “It’s a really nice photo because he didn’t know I was taking it

“He was with a few other kids, and they had all been being quite cool, dodging the waves and trying to be teenagers but he was just caught off guard. In that moment he was back to being a child again.”

A large canvas print of the photograph now hangs in Jane’s lounge.

Sinnet Weber of Brighton captured weekend crowds thronging in Gardner Street, a typical Brighton street scene on a sunny weekend. She said: “Crowds is what represents summer to me, they show the cafe culture.”

An even more traditional English summer activity was photographed by Penny Crawley of Kingston, near Lewes. She snapped Morris Men dancing their ancient jig outside the Lewes Arms.

And 17-year-old Clare Cornwell submitted that most Brightonian of summer seaside icons - a seagull against the backdrop of the Brighton Palace Pier. The gull is captured looking straight into Clare’s camera lens with an imperious tilt of the head which seems almost to say, “do you think those fish and chips belong to you?”

Hannah Kenyon, 27, from Brighton had her photographs of the Red Arrows published in The Argus last year so was keen to enter this year’s competition. She took her camera with her on a mini-break to Herstmonceux with her partner.

She said: “That day was a little bubble of sunshine which is great with how terrible the weather has been. We wandered around the grounds and through the woodlands. My little dog fell into one of the lakes.

“I haven’t been there before and I thought it would be a cool place to bring my camera with me, I got some shots I’m really quite proud of.

“We just wandered down the road from where we were staying and found a castle which was pretty cool. It’s not every day you just come across a castle and it’s quite a spectacular one.”

A nervous rabbit captured the abundance of wildlife Sussex enjoys in the summer for amateur photographer Annette Radford. She said: “The young pesky rabbit at the edge of the pond tried to evade my lens several times by creeping into the bushes, but I captured it more stealthily on the fourth attempt.

“I derive the greatest pleasure from capturing the wonderful characteristics and personalities of animals, it’s such a privilege being part of their world early in the morning.

“It makes me thoughtful to their co-existence alongside our own, quietly going about their business in the Sussex countryside and what a wealthy abundance of wildlife we have in the Downs.”

Fiona Blair, from Hove, was one of several entrants to the One Summer’s Day competition who reflected that this summer has not yet brought with it very summery weather.

She framed a makeshift lifeguard station on Hove beach in a brief pause between showers.

The 32-year-old NHS worker said: “I’d taken my partner’s Nikon out for the day. I thought I’d get a shot of something but didn’t have anything in mind.

I’m not by any means a professional photographer so it was a case of hiding from the rain when it was raining and waiting for the sub to come out.”

She said views of the beach encapsulate what summer is all about her her. “Summer for me is very social. I go down to the beach with a group of friends. Sun sun and sea are usual for me, I’ve always lived around the coast and that’s what we do on a summer’s day - head down the seafront.”

The competition, sponsored by photography experts Jessops, is open to amateurs and professional photographers.

There are first, second and third place prizes worth a total of £2,500 for adults as well as a junior prize for under-16s.

The first place picture will win the latest camera technology from Jessops in the form of an Olympus Pen-F camera worth £1,000.

Runners-up can win Jessops courses, printed canvases and hardware.