37. Special Place

On Photography
The photographer's family frolics on the rocky shore of her favourite beach from childhood

"This is the beach I spent most of my childhood and teenage years with my oldest brother, parents, aunty, uncle and grandparents who are no longer with us. We could always be found fighting the incoming tide that was destined to collapse the walls of our sand boat. This place holds more memories than anywhere else and is my family's special place where we now bring our own families to grow. This is my brother teaching my son how to crab at Tommys pit where we watch his daughter swimming and my daughter wondering when she will have enough courage to get in with her. Even our dogs past and present are all part of our many beach memories."

— Jo Ellicott

Family Photography Now, directive and week 37: Share a photo of your family taken in a place special to you

“I took this image in the back garden of the squat in Hackney where I lived for 7 years. The photograph is of my sister Vicki and her boy Bertie who is now 26 years old and lot bigger than me. I love this image because it brings back memories of the community of squatters where we lived and who became my extended family. We squatted in two back-to-back streets, with shared gardens and shared lives. I love looking at these images and remembering the fun and chaos that ran through our lives. The house has now been demolished to make way for a service road. But this weekend I’m heading off for my sisters 50th birthday party in a huge rented house with loads of people, one weekend is enough.”

— Tom Hunter, Photographer