Blackpool: Sun, Sea and Seagulls
I last visited Blackpool when I was about 6 years old. Fast forward about 25 years to a sunny summer’s day last August, when a few friends and I took a daytrip there to start a project.
With Blackpool being renowned for its promenade, it felt like the best place to start. We explored and kept an eye out for details that captured our attentions - crazy-golf pirates, stuffed toys, seagulls and Minions. So many Minions.
The gang - Keiron, Hannah & Jack.
Jack Sparrow look-a-like statue looking after the mini-golf course.
Minions were out in force in Blackpool.
Armed with my digital and Holga film cameras, I set myself up to take a split-approach to documenting the day. These two cameras produce a different look and feel; the digital photos are clean and sharp, whereas the Holga's are square, black & white and typically produce noticeable vignetting (dark edges).
What I find interesting about the Holga photos is the way they start to strip away a sense of the place. The colours in Blackpool have that stereotypical British-seaside-resort combination, that when removed, could almost be taken somewhere else.
The North Pier entrance - taken with my DSLR.
The same as above but photographed with my Holga film camera.
We walked a good stretch of the promenade, from the North Pier to the Pleasure Beach theme park (approx. 2 miles), and then turned back. On the journey back we zig-zagged between the promenade road and the back streets, taking in what the other side of the road had to offer (as well as grabbing an ice cream!).
Eyeing up the cost of rock.
Blackpool is not somewhere I would normally think to visit, but it sure makes for a fascinating place to photograph with all that's going on, especially on a busy summer's day. Having grown up in North Wales, I would liken Blackpool to a mixture of Llandudno and Rhyl but on a bigger scale.
The next trip we took was to Crosby and Formby beaches, which was quite a contrast to Blackpool. The photos from that trip will feature in an upcoming blog. For now please have a look through the rest of my photos and let me know what you think in the comments box at the bottom of the page. It would be great to get your opinions on these photos, to hear your experiences and memories of seaside towns and what you associate with them.
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