by
Gerry Atkinson
Herne Bay is being cleaned up and renovated to attract visitors and last week was the busiest I have seen it. A mobile ice cream seller was doing a good trade amongst the beach huts. Families and young people were sunbathing or playing along the beach. On the pier children were fishing for crabs or enjoying funfair rides. The Sugar Hut and Shooting Gallery were busy and pop-up market stalls selling seaside souvenirs were doing a brisk trade. The remains of the old Herne Bay pier are a distinctive landmark in the distance. The seafront gardens near the clock tower had a few walkers strolling along. People were enjoying lunch at the outdoor cafes and pubs and shoppers in the town were keeping a social distance. The children’s playground and mini golf were popular and the amusement arcades and traditional seaside gift shops were having a good day. It was a colourful and enjoyable day out.
© All images copyright Gerry Atkinson.
Originally published here: https://www.gerryatkinson.com/herne-bay-postcards/
About Gerry
Training as a photojournalist, I started recording political protests in London in the 1990’s. I spent 18 months volunteering with CWERC, an NGO in the Philippines, recording the lives of indigenous women for an audio-visual ‘Weaving our own Dreams’. I moved on to New Zealand for 4 years working for newspapers. On returning to London I organised a collaborative project with people with mental health problems to produce ‘Through the Lens’ documentary photography exhibition.
My MA research in 2010 resulted in a book ‘Shades of Other Lives’, a series of windows at night, developed in reference to Labour Party comments that “We are all middle class now”. In 2011-2012, I spent 10 months in Greece, Cape Town and New Zealand working on documentary projects. Recent community projects are ‘Our Work of Art 2018-2019’. I have an NUJ Photojournalist Press Card and am currently discussing new ideas and collaborations.
I studied at Leicester University, the London College of Communication and the University for the Creative Arts.
I have extensive solo and group exhibition experience including the British Museums landmark exhibition “Rice and Life in the Philippines”. My work has been published in newspapers, books and magazines and is held in private collections.
Photo by Glen London
To see more of Gerry’s work, please go to: https://www.gerryatkinson.com/
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