Summer Beach Holiday Photography
Photographs taken on holiday can be more than just snaps of the family.
We often holiday in Weymouth, Dorset. The seaside town offers a mass of opportunity for photography from the attractions on the beach and along the esplanade through to the interesting and still working harbour area.
Weymouth has a colourful history, it is said that the first Labrador dogs arrived on a Norwegian boat and a local pub owner bought one and renamed his pub to become the first ‘The Black Dog’ in UK. Less fun for the locals than a pub was that The Black Death’ first arrived in Weymouth in 1348 carried by the rats that scuttled ashore and went on to kill 30 – 50% of the population. There is a Helen Lane near the harbour, originally called Hell Lane as every person living there succumbed to this terrible plague. These days the street seem pretty harmless and worth a stroll.
The photograph at the top of the page of the Punch and Judy booth on the beach was taken in the late evening and featured on the Leica Gallery.
Beach huts looking out on Weymouth bay.
Beach Photography
Weymouth bay is a large sandy bay with to one end many attractions for children, like the Punch and Judy and Donkey Rides.
Punch and Judy is an old form of seaside entertainment and relies on and encourages a noisy crowd of children yelling at the mischievous Mr Punch. Dating back to 16th Century Italy it is derived from Pulcinella and then later Anglicized to ‘Punch’ and is one of the many trickster characters from world mythology.
The colourful cabin was first seen in the UK in 1662 and thrived during the Restoration (hooray!) but then banned by Cromwell (Boo!), and then restored by Charles II (Hooray!).
The famous Punch voice is made by a ‘swazzle’ a small device put in the mouth, in fact if you have a Punch and Judy show without a swazzle it can’t be advertised as a Punch and Judy show. Oh yes it can, Oh no it can’t!
It is well worth watching a show the next time you are on the beach, as a slice of history as much as entertainment for the kids. Please remember to gladly give the ‘Bottler’ (a helper who collects with a donation box), a few pounds, it is their income after all.
Further on there are amusement arcades and rides for all to enjoy. The evening always offers a quieter time for photography. The merry-go-round in Weymouth is a traditional one, with horses and has been there since I was a child, it has been maintained very well too.
An evening walk along the beach in Weymouth, providing opportunities to photograph the many sites and attractions for tourists to enjoy.
Weymouth Harbour Photographs
The harbour in Weymouth is still a working harbour with local fishermen bringing in their crabs and lobsters to the seawall. They supply fresh fish to restaurants in Weymouth around the UK.
The weathered paintwork and equipment on the fishing boats moored up have seen many years of hard work around the shores. They provide engaging subject matter
for photography, especially if you time it right and arrive when they are unloading their catch.
The bridge still opens to let through the larger yachts to the Marina or let them back out to sea.
Weymouth harbour, looking across at the colourful houses on the other side of the quay.
Working fishing boats are always interesting photographically, the boats and the fishermen have weathered over the years which adds to their attraction.
Dorset landscape photography
To see more of the landscape photography I have taken in Dorset please visit this blog post – Dorset landscape Photography
The beach huts on Portland come in every shape and colour.
Portland Beach huts photography
To view some of the photography and news article featuring beach huts photographed on Portland please visit this
blog post – Photography of Portland beach huts.
Seagulls photography
Who doesn’t enjoy photographing the thieving seagulls on the coast? They are less fun if they are actually helping themselves to your lunch or ice-cream.
This summer Google used a now famous photograph taken by a tourist of a seagull eating a chip on their billboards.
The gulls are remarkably bold and pretty aggressive, they come flying in to within a few feet and then make a fast grab for your fish and chips. For the photographer it’s a question then of how to take an interesting photograph, perhaps a busier image with people and a dining table backdrop or just the sky and clouds? The choices are endless.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Professional corporate photographer, providing company headshot photography and video for businesses in London, the rest of the UK and Europe. Piranha are commissioned by FTSE100 companies and start-ups alike, for numerous projects, covering a wide range of work and styles. Portraits and office photography for use on websites, events coverage and PR shots for press and publications, as well as Board and location photography for annual reports. Using top of the range Leica cameras and lenses. We process the images promptly and to an extremely high standard.