FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
People often ask me if taking my camera away with me is like a busman’s holiday, but the truth is photography is not work to me, it’s part of who I am.
Our recent family trip to France meant shaking out a tent that hadn’t seen the light of day since last summer. My wife Lynne did all the organising, we bought a trailer and a roofbox, stuffed in everything apart from the kitchen sink and set off with our two children, armed with my trusty Panasonic LX3 camera and a Michelin map.
Headed off from Teesside very early, catching the P&O ferry from Dover to Calais and taking the obligatory shot of the beautiful white cliffs as we sailed away. Little stop near Calais then drove on to Le Letty campsite, at Bénodet in Brittany in time to get the tent all up and sorted by supper time, and the chance for a well-deserved cold beer.
This fabulous site was right on the beach, with plenty of sporting activities on offer, including canoeing, tennis courts, and a swimming pool complete with slides. After three days there the forecast was poor so we headed South towards Bordeaux, arriving at 7pm to find all the good sites were full – yes, we had managed to pick the biggest public holiday of the year to arrive without booking accommodation. I will draw a veil over where we slept that night, but we were pleased that the car is a good size!
The next day took us on to the Panorama du Pyla site at Arcachon, a tranquil nature reserve whose massive sand dunes, the Dune du Pylas, make it a popular spot for kite flying. The site is tucked away between the pine forest and the beach, and we were spoilt for choice with swimming, surfing, bike rides, paragliding and fishing just a few of the things that attract people to this beautiful area.
We also managed to squeeze in plenty of time lying around watching the paragliders float lazily around the sky attached to jewel-coloured kites, set against the bluest of skies. It was like free therapy, as my wife remarked from her prone position on the beach towel next to mine.
The number of photos I took made me wonder why colours seem so much more vivid when you’re on holiday, and how we managed before digital photography and the opportunity to take as many images as you have memory cards.
Our canvas neighbours Helen and Rick, who were on holiday with their two sons, sent us a glorious photo of a paraglider coming in to land against the setting sun. It’s not one of my own pictures but it perfectly captured the essence of our stay at the site, and I’d be very pleased to have it in my portfolio.
The French are more relaxed than the UK about impromptu roadside camping, and one of the delights of our trip was spotting numerous gorgeous old VW campervans tucked away in the edges of woodland and in laybys.
We rounded off our holiday with 24 hours in Paris, buying a family Metro pass for the bargain price of just 25 euros, and packing in a whistle-stop tour of attractions. The spectacular glass Pyramide du Louvre gave me the chance to seek out an unusual shot taken from inside, and of course what photographer could resist the chance to take photos from the top of the Eiffel Tower?
Inside the Louvre, people were standing 10-deep in front of the Mona Lisa. Camera flashes were going off like fireflies in a forest but sadly, most people seemed keener just to record the experience, rather than appreciate the painting’s beauty.
Going past an unofficial shrine to Princess Diana, the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel, was a sobering moment. We lifted our mood with a walk along the Seine as darkness fell, to the strains of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ – a popular choice for Parisian buskers and a tune we heard several times!
Arriving home I found out we had clocked up around 2,500 miles, and once we had unpacked the car and shaken the sand out of all our kit it fell to me to do what all holidaymakers do - even professional photographers – and sort out all the holiday pics.
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