In this blog post you’re going to see Holiday photos that I hope you’ll see made with a Street mindset. This lady looks happy enough, but there’s a ‘blue’ theme to the shot and let’s face it I’ve never been great with titles.
We returned from a short trip this week. Louis got up this morning and became a little tearful “Just think, we could be swimming with Auntie Jane and Uncle Geoff right now”. The post ‘holiday blues’ had struck. Actually they already had, New York was cancelled in March and this week we should have been in Rome. Not all is lost though because we have a much better destination only two hours drive away…Budleigh Salterton and the best hotel I know.
Okay, that’s not it. That’s the entrance to another hotel in nearby Sidmouth which we’ll come back to later. No, this Budleigh Salterton hotel is operated by a very nice couple. It’s where the food is always wonderful, cleanliness second to none, the beds are comfortable, decor extremely tasteful, and we’re always sure of a warm welcome and great conversation. I’m speaking of the home of my sister and brother-in-law.
Budleigh Salterton is in Devon, on the Jurassic Coast which is a world heritage site. There’s still a few “dinosaurs” roaming this area, but most are now extinct at least those from the Jurassic period. Jane and Geoff take a walk down to the sea every morning for a swim, of course the children joined them and I followed with the camera. I always quote Bill Bryson the American travel writer if I need to describe a dip at the English seaside. During his first visit to a beach with his English girlfriend he heard cries of fun and joy as people splashed in the sea. He leapt up, watched by his bemused girlfriend, and ran down to the sea and straight it. As he says, I misunderstood those cries of joy, in fact I realised too late that they were yells of shock and pain as I plunged into what was essentially Liquid Nitrogen!
Anyway, that doesn’t deter Jane and Geoff, they’re made of much tougher stuff than Bill Bryson…I’m not. I’ve done all that diving into the English sea, it’s bloody freezing, you’re unable to breathe for a few seconds, a searing pain in your head and you come out blue. Okay, it’s not always that bad and you do get used to it after a dozen or so strokes of front crawl. There’s a defibrillator down there somewhere on the seafront which I see as a sign not to go in! The children were hesitant, but Jane convinced them and they loved every moment.
In between these morning swims I tried my best to grab some Street Shots. I’d run up to the beach huts once they were in the Liquid Nitrogen, sorry, err, Sea. This is where I captured the opening shot of this blog post. Here’s a couple more of people waling past. Is it Street Photography? I suppose it might be, just:
Opposite those huts is a shelter that has been vandalised. I know? In Budleigh Salterton of all places? Shock, horror, hold the front-page! I tried a few from there through some broken glass. I’m not really sure if they work, but that’s the thing on holiday you have time to experiment, although not too long because the owners of our hotel aren’t offering a childminding service along with the free food and accommodation…for that reason I only gave them 4.5 Stars on Tripadvisor!
In the end I changed the view and chose this one as a shot I prefer. Not because it’s another selfie (you should just about be able to make out my reflection), mostly because the lady in orange is looking at me:
We visited the shop for ice cream and I hung around outside. Another opportunity, however I only managed to get some close ups of the passersby. I know we need to be thinking about getting closer, but these shots can often simply end up being a close up of someone walking by. As you might remember from my blog posts a couple of years ago it’s something I want to avoid. I think I titled one of those posts something along the lines of “It’s just people walking along”. Which, in all fairness, is often all we see in the name of Street Photography. Hey, at least I’ve advanced to incorporating Beach Huts!
Eventually I saw a better shot by simply turning around to see the children and Sam, some layers and repeating gestures. Now, just because it’s my family in this shot it doesn’t mean that it’s not Street Photography. I can assure you that if I’d turned around and the same scene presented itself with complete strangers I would still release that shutter.
We decided, after a suggestion from Sam, that we would go out for lunch on the Sunday. Inviting my parents along. It’s always touch and go as to whether they’ll want to make the effort, but they were enthusiastic and the tables were booked. We chose The Victoria Hotel in Sidmouth. My father worked as a waiter there in 1949 and it’s a place we’ve visited many times since. During the 1960’s and 70’s my dad still knew the owner and we were given permission to use the Lido, their extensive outside pool area. We would eat our picnic on the cliffs looking over Sidmouth and then head to the hotel. I can’t put into words the sheer joy of those visits, nor the feeling of nostalgia every time I see that pool area. Having time with my dad, summer, the pool, afternoon tea, the light reflected from the whitewashed walls with their roman tiles topping them off, that shimmering light that you from water as it’s reflected as I swam under the bridge that spanned part of the pool. I didn’t manage a decent shot so here’s a photo taken by either my mum or dad in the 1960’s of my sister. Hang on a minute…She’s still has that same swimming cap!
I don’t wish to get over sentimental here, however there’s such a huge swelling of emotion I often shed a tear (of happiness) as I look into that pool area as I pass by. It was like being in the mediterranean and it hasn’t changed at all since I first visited over 50 years ago. Happy Days. Anyway, it’s only open to residents and we were only there for lunch. Lord knows how my dad feels as he enters the hotel 71 years after he worked there. I mentioned this fact to the doorman as I chatted to him, a really nice chap with a sense of humour “Ah, we still talk about him to this day Sir”. I liked this shot because I’m guessing his hand has touched that frame before and the brass sign says “Hotels” which are exactly how he spent his working life.
Let’s not forget apart from my family the main attraction for the children is the beach. As well as the morning dips we headed down there at sunset. Again I’ve tried to capture some images with a Street mindset. Others because the light was so beautiful and a couple of Louis merely because seeing him wrapped up in a towel reminded me so much of my own childhood. Let’s wrap it this up now with these images and I’ll finish with my own personal favourite:
Oddly enough the main contender for favourite was right at the beginning, Sam’s arm hanging from the arm of the chair with the curtain. In the end though I preferred this shot, it is my favourite. It’s definitely Street Photography, there’s some layers, it’s candid. It also asks some questions of the viewer once you remove it from the context of this blog post. As a stand alone photograph it has some Form and Content.
As always my sincere thanks go to anyone taking the time to read this blog.
All images can be opened by clicking on the thumbnails and are taken using a Leica M with Summicron 28mm Lens fitted. Except of course the photo from the Lido, Sidmouth which was probably some variation of a Brownie or Kodak.
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