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InspirationPhotography

Documenting the ups and downs of life and love, through one couple's holiday snaps of one another

Ever prolific ad-man and vernacular photography aficionado Erik Kessels' recent found-photography project is a sweet image-led love letter both in the literal sense and in its affection for the simple pleasures of a summer holiday.

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Shirtless man wearing pink swim shorts and sunglasses stands with hands on hips beside a resort pool, with white hotel buildings and palm trees behind him

'Same place, same time, same same but different' is the 17th edition in the book series 'in almost every picture'. The project saw Kessels collaborate with Sergio Smerieri, a photography studio owner who developed the images and was also a friend of the stars of the book, Carlo and Luciana.

'Same place, same time, same same but different' details the relationship of Italian couple Carlo and Luciana, who hails from the town of Vignola in the Modena province. Throughout their lives, the pair took photos of one another in each location they went on holiday - meaning they're rarely pictured together, other than a few that were likely taken by resort staff members or fellow holidaymakers they met along the way.

"In almost every picture, we see him or her but never them," says Kessels. "Same place, same time, 'same same but different', you might say."

Woman in blue swimsuit and sunglasses stands by a resort pool with white modernist buildings and palm trees in the background

In the early days, when the couple seems to be in their 20s and 30s, these were black and white images – many of which were shot on the road – before moving into colour photography later in their lives, once they'd taken a couple of decades away from holidaying.

The book was designed to include a section with about 20 blank pages, symbolising the years when Carlo and Luciana were working and didn't have the chance to go on holiday, and as such, didn't have the opportunity to take pictures of one other.

Shirtless man wearing a straw hat with red band and sunglasses crouches on a beach at the water's edge, with waves and distant beachgoers visible behind him
Woman in straw hat and sunglasses crouching on a sandy beach with the sea and distant beachgoers behind her

According to the text within the book, before they met, Luciana worked as a tailor with her father and sister and became a housewife once she married Carlo, a clerk in a bricolage store. The couple made a small handful of trips just after they married, but these fell by the wayside when work took over. The move from black and white to colour echoes the shift from "newly-wed infatuation grows into a retired life of familiar partnership," as the book puts it.

"What never changes is Carlo and Luciana's commitment to their project and the love that feels ever-present. By studying the photos, we notice that Carlo poses for the camera—for his legacy—often looking into the distance. Whereas Luciana mostly addresses the man behind the camera, she poses for him. Together they create a curious contradiction; two halves, each with their own different motive, making one whole. Carlo and Luciana undoubtedly lived a vibrant life, full of adventure and 'Joie de Vivre'."

Shirtless man wearing sunglasses and pink shorts crouches on tiled beach promenade with high-rise buildings and sandy beach behind him under clear blue sky
Woman in blue swimsuit adjusting sunglasses while crouching on a beach with other holidaymakers and umbrellas in the background
Man crouching in front of a bronze warrior statue holding a spear and shield on a white stone plinth, with evergreen trees in the background
Woman in sunglasses and beige skirt standing before a black statue of a warrior holding a sword and shield at an outdoor monument
Shirtless man wearing pink shorts and sunglasses standing on a beach promenade with high-rise buildings and palm trees behind him
Woman wearing colourful floral swimsuit and sunglasses standing on a sunny beach promenade lined with apartment buildings
Man in sunglasses and blue shirt standing in front of a white building with a red flag and Portuguese flag hanging above
Woman in sunglasses and pink coat stands holding a brown bag in front of a white building with colourful fabric decorations hanging on its facade
Carlo poses on a wooden pier by the sea in a black and white photograph from the early years of his and Luciana's holiday documentation project
Woman sitting on a bench by the seaside, smiling at the camera in a black and white photograph
Carlo stands beside a vintage car with an Italian licence plate, posing for the camera in a black and white photograph taken during an early holiday
Woman in dark dress and cardigan stands beside a white Fiat car with registration plate MO-8 SLIZ, trees and building visible behind in black and white photograph
Man in light-coloured clothing standing with hands on hips in front of large bronze sculptural forms with foliage visible behind
Woman in pink dress standing in front of large bronze sculptural heads with intertwined forms
Man in blue jacket and flat cap sitting on stone wall with Great Wall of China stretching across hillside behind him
Woman in turquoise jacket and tartan skirt sitting on stone wall with mountainous landscape and buildings behind her
Man in sunglasses and striped shirt relaxing in a white chair on the lawn in front of a Hotel Ibis building with blue shutters and palm plants
Woman in turquoise shirt and sunglasses sitting on a white chair on the grass in front of Hotel Ibis with blue-striped awning and banana plants
Man in cap and jacket standing on a mountain road beside a numbered marker, black and white photograph
A woman in a hat and dark jacket stands on a mountain path, looking upwards towards towering rocky peaks in this black and white photograph from Carlo and Luciana's holiday collection
Man with binoculars stands on sandy riverbank while two people look on, with trees and brown water visible behind them
Three people stand on a riverbank with cameras, one woman in the centre photographing the landscape while two men wait beside her
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