Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay – Part 3 Crabbing

It was our last day in Whitby, we only had half day left before coming back to Manchester and decided to hanging around the port; we walked a lot on those days and just wanted to chill. I was a bit pissed of, I was not happy with the photos I took and almost gave up on putting a new roll of film into my Nikon. I love documentary photography, journalism and photos that can tell a story, I don’t want to create “postcard” photos, I would love to interact more with people, be more into the situation; but I always feel stuck by my docile and introvert character and I end to photograph empty spaces. I’m too scared to put my lens to eye level and have a contact with people.

That day though was a Bank holiday which means: family everywhere! And I found myself unintentionally in a particular situation, I witnessed to what is called crabbing. I was walking around the harbour when I noticed that more and more people, parents, kids and grandparents too were gathering around the swing bridge area; kids were climbing the metal railings and everyone was looking down into the water. I was too curious to know what the hell was happening so I got closer and I realised that all those people were fishing crabs with buckets! That was something totally new to me. Immediately I opened my pouch, took a roll of black and white Street Candy that I waited long time to use and loaded my camera. For going crabbing you will need: crabbing net and bucket, that’s it! And when the game is over crabs are returned, unharmed, to their natural habitat.

I kept walking from side to side, I looked at the people, the ones who were just watching, the ones who were sit on the ground with kids and the ones who were launching the nets into the water and everyone was super focused admiring that seaside tradition. In that moment of hustle and bustle I felt like an invisible ghost walking between people, watching in silence the action taking place and documenting the process with my camera; it was in that exact moment that I realised how much I love to document people and life, actions and traditions.