Together on holiday

I snapped this on holiday in Lyme Regis. It was a stunning day which drew the crowds to the beach. We squeezed ourselves into a small patch of sand and sat uncomfortably for a while, trying to keep an eye on our daughter amid the squeals and splashes of children and families in the water. 

After suffering the suffocation as long as we could, we headed along the harbour wall to a small beach tucked behind the marine aquarium. 

This shot is on our walk back along the wall, stopping for an ice cream en route. 

As I look at it in black and white now, it speaks to me of family and togetherness. Here’s why... 

I see a mother and daughter walking tightly together at the bottom of the frame. The fact that they’re my wife and daughter brings with it the knowledge of their close bond. But something in their relaxed and purposeful stride conveys their togetherness, don’t you think? 

Mirroring this sense of family tie is the lady and daughter just ahead of them, with the boy – presumably their son/sibling – moving towards them. 

And to the right of the frame, my daughter eyes the crab bucket of a family, where dad looks down expectantly to see what his two companions – presumably his wife and daughter – pull up. 

Beyond them, a couple are moving over to the railings. And approaching them is another family. 

Then, aligned along the wall in the shadows on the left, you can just about make out people sitting on benches together. 

It’s the holiday season and families are getting to spend time together away from their normal busy routines. And as I think about it, I consider how holidays bring us together, strengthening our family bonds in some ways and testing them in others.

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Here it is in colour, but something of that sense of togetherness is lost on me amid all the colourful distraction:

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Photo ref: 202208-Lyme-Regis-Holiday-55