The National Maritime Museum brings together four photographers who know britain’s piers, pebbles, and promenades intimately. Tracy Calder finds out more
The first glimpse of the sea is always a thrill. Released from the car, often hot and sticky after a long drive, you make your way through the dunes, grass whipping at your legs, salt fizzing on your tongue. The sand is warm beneath your feet, but carrying the obligatory cool box and windbreak makes progress slow. Ascending the final dune, your heart quickens as you anticipate the view. One more step and you are at the top, marveling at the shimmering water stretching out below you. Propelled by some primitive urge you drop your belongings and race towards the water. The first wave hits your legs and you flinch at its icy touch, but when the second wave arrives you find yourself remarking, ‘It’s not as cold as I thought it was going to be.’ In reality, there is no way you are going in without a full wetsuit. Suitably refreshed you return to the windbreak and begin setting up camp.
A day at the seaside is a delicious mixture of childish excitement, rituals and nostalgia. ‘It’s a unique landscape – somewhere you can escape the rigours of everyday life,’ says Kristian Martin, curator at the National Maritime Museum in London. ‘It’s somewhere you feel free and uninhibited, but it’s somewhere democratic too. At the seaside you cast off the shackles of everyday life and behave in a way that you wouldn’t normally.’ On the beach you shed half of your clothes, volunteer to be buried in the sand, and dig a hole with a plastic spade to see how far it is to the earth’s core – quite frankly, it’s not normal.
Denne historien er fra April 14,2018-utgaven av Amateur Photographer.
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Denne historien er fra April 14,2018-utgaven av Amateur Photographer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
140 years of change
AP has become the world’s oldest surviving consumer photo magazine because we have moved with the times, says Nigel Atherton
Preserving history in platinum
A deep dive into the meticulous art of platinum printing, and the collaboration between the Royal Geographical Society and Salto Ulbeek. Mike Crawford explores how they brought historical photographs to life with enduring beauty and precision
Life in the past lane
What was life like for an amateur photographer in 1884? John Wade takes a trip back in time
Choice cuts
How many trillions of photographs must have been taken in the past 140 years? Amy Davies asked some of our regular contributors for their favourites....a difficult task, to say the least
How good a camera can you buy for just £140?
Three members of the AP team see what they can find for the money
Round Five: The Best of the Rest
The APOY judges choose their favourite images that didn’t make the top ten of our Landscapes category
Amateur Photographer of the Year
Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd from Round Five, Landscapes, with comments by the AP team and our guest judge
FILM STARS A lifetime of landmarks
Cameras that hit the headlines between then and now. John Wade is your guide
140 years of Amateur Photographer
As AP celebrates its 140th birthday next month, Nigel Atherton looks back at its glorious past
John Wade considers...World War II: Home Front 1940, by A.J O'Brien
Say the word 'Wall's' to those of a certain age and two things spring to mind: sausages and ice cream.