I've had lots of conversations with other photographers about whether or not it's a good idea to take your camera kit on a family holiday. It's a tricky one. But then being a photographer is tricky. You are constantly faced with tough decisions - do you savour the moment, or do you record it forever more for all to enjoy? Can you even properly absorb the scene before you when your brain is whizzing with the possibilities of the images you could create - how you could capture that reflection that no one else has seen? How the light would flare so nicely? How, with a slight step to the left and a crouch down you could get the perfect composition? How do you deal with the distracting knowledge that you could freeze it all in total perfection in a split second? Those thoughts are always there, all the time, whether you have your kit with you or not. It's infuriating!

Do you think of yourself, or of others? The short term, or the long term? Sometimes you can do both - grab a few shots then take a moment to soak it all up for yourself -  but a lot of the time it's one or the other. The good news is it's something you get better at. I've started finding ways to travel with less kit (it's a good way to make yourself be creative) and I'm slowly finding ways to find a healthy balance between life through the lens and the real deal, and keep everyone happy, which is, generally, my main aim in life.

So, here are just a few shots from our fab week in Fuengirola - and I'm lucky because I get to keep the extra bits that only exist in my memory too :)

We love a bit of February half term sun - flights and accommodation are ridiculously cheap, living costs in Spain mean you save even more, and it's so quiet that you often have the normally crowded beaches all to yourselves. What's not to love?!

We stayed in this AirBandB apartment - it was brilliant and Claire, Michael and Bentley (see the final pic!) were the perfect hosts.