Holiday inspiration

I don’t know about you but I always like to explore places when I go on holiday. I like to leave a town or city feeling like there’s barely a single road I’ve not been down!

For the last few years we have taken our holidays entirely by train, reaching France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Croatia and Hungary, all from our small, local station in the north east of England. It’s a mode of transport that really allows you to see the landscape and the edges of places, the uninhabited and the abandoned, almost like being behind the scenes.

For me, this is essential to capture the essence of a place. Exploring the back alleys, empty buildings and street markets, walking miles to find those quiet corners. Sometimes when I’m taking pictures people stop and seem intrigued and baffled by what I’m photographing - it’s often something on the wall next to the thing that other people are taking pictures of!

Take me somewhere with interesting architecture and dilapidated buildings and I’ll be a happy woman.

Trips to places like this really inspire me with their worn textures and rich colours. At some point, I would love to make a series of large, fabric wall pieces using some of the shopfronts and ghost signs that I have photographed over the years. All those amazing layers and beautiful fonts will be perfect for creating a soft, rustic feel and a warm sense of nostalgia for the home environment.

The pictures above were taken in San Sebastian and Bordeaux, two places I would highly recommend for a good old meander with a camera.

Are you anything like me, or do you have very different idea of what constitutes a holiday?

Karen x

Karen Kench