My Love of Strolling

As a young boy, I loved strolling with my parents and sisters, hand in hand along the busy Blackpool promenade in north-west England, with my Brownie 127 camera strung loosely around my neck. The bracing sea air soon turned delicate cheeks bright red, as we meandered slowly past colourful ice-cream stalls, through penny arcades, just soaking up the holiday atmosphere. Just for one week each year I felt different.

I still do the same today, walking at a leisurely pace, absorbing all that is around me, just looking and listening, taking photographs with the occasion arises. No rush, no panic.

Strolling is not stressful and can definitely have a calming effect on one’s soul. I love the French word ‘fláneur’ for a strolling observer, just as Henri Cartier-Bresson liked to be known and that’s how I would like to be, as I live out the rest of my days: just as a strolling observer, photographing the world around me and sharing my experiences with anyone who cares to come along.