A sun-faded swimming pool and palm trees glow turquoise in this chromatic nostalgism photography holiday scene.

Nathan Head Grades Pools and Palm Trees Into Turquoise Holiday Memories

2026-11-08

Picture a summer where the sky stays pink and the ocean glows electric blue. British photographer Nathan Head builds that world out of familiar places using chromatic nostalgism photography.

Empty poolside lounge chairs sit beside a turquoise pool under bright sun.

Head’s pictures start with familiar subjects: swimming pools, palm trees and seaside buildings. He pushes their colors toward turquoise, magenta and lavender until the scenes look slightly unreal, turning them into candy-colored landscapes.

A style he calls chromatic nostalgism photography

Head names his approach “Chromatic Nostalgism.” The name fits this style, which feels like memories of a holiday the viewer never took.

Tall palm trees stand against a washed-out blue sky above a resort.

He begins with real photographs. He then reworks them through color grading, the process of adjusting hue, saturation and brightness, followed by digital editing.

His palette draws on Japanese city pop, K-pop music videos and the warm Mediterranean light he saw on a trip to the Balearic Islands in 2016. The result depends on a deliberate clash between warm and cool tones, which is central to his approach.

The sea as a recurring subject

Head grew up in Bournemouth, an English coastal town, and the sea shaped his interest in the subject. It remains one of his favorite themes.

Close view of rippling turquoise water with soft sunlight reflecting across the surface.

The sea anchors Head’s work, and ocean life offers rich material for artists too. Marine life captured through art and imagery shows another way the water inspires creative work.

In 2019 he made “You Know Where To Find Me,” a photograph of ocean waves. The image is now closely tied to his signature look and to the print he sells under the same title.

A faded beach umbrella shades an empty deckchair near a sparkling pool edge.

Palm fronds cast soft shadows across a sunlit terrace beside a blue swimming pool.

A diving board extends over a pale turquoise pool with a faint warm haze.

Two palm trees frame a hotel balcony overlooking calm turquoise water at midday.

Weathered white sunloungers face an empty pool under a cloudless sky.

Sun-bleached poolside tiles glow in warm light next to shimmering water.

A quiet courtyard pool with tiled steps and a single potted palm tree.

Warm afternoon light falls on a turquoise pool bordered by low white walls.

Palm tree silhouettes stand against a soft pink and blue evening sky.

A long shadow stretches across a sunny pool deck with scattered towels.

Ripples spread across a turquoise pool surface beneath dappled palm shade.

A pale blue pool glows beside a faded resort building with green shutters.

The print edition

“You Know Where To Find Me” is sold as a fine art poster on matte paper. The paper measures 10.3 mil thick and weighs 5.6 ounces per square yard, or 192 grams per square meter. Its opacity is 94 percent.

The prints are made with giclée printing quality. The listing offers sizes from 8×10 to 18×24, and every size was marked sold out when the page was captured.

If Head’s saturated palette has you hunting for more bold color in photography, 100 radiant yellow images in a photo book shows how one hue can carry an entire collection.

Tropical foliage leans over a sunlit path leading toward a turquoise swimming pool.

This approach shows how far a single color treatment can carry an ordinary place, even within a field as familiar as landscape photography. A pool or a seafront becomes a holiday that never happened, and the edit does most of the work.

A vintage-looking holiday snapshot of palm trees above a bright blue pool.

Empty loungers and a striped parasol sit beside a glowing turquoise pool.

Palm trees line a wide poolside walkway under a hazy, sun-washed sky.

Water reflects the pale sky and a row of palm trees at the pool edge.

A turquoise pool shimmers in the late afternoon sun with no one swimming.

Close detail of a pool ladder and tiled edge in warm, faded colour.

Palm fronds catch the breeze over a quiet pool with white plastic chairs.

A distant hotel terrace overlooks a turquoise pool surrounded by tall palms.

Sunlight filters through palm leaves onto a pool's tiled rim and still water.

A row of umbrellas shades empty chairs beside a clear turquoise swimming pool.

Soft haze softens the outline of palm trees above a sunlit poolside lawn.

A glowing turquoise pool and palm trees fade into a warm, nostalgic afternoon.

Via designyoutrust.com

Frequently asked questions

What is chromatic nostalgism photography?

Chromatic nostalgism is the name British photographer Nathan Head gives his style. He takes familiar subjects like swimming pools, palm trees and seaside buildings and pushes their colors toward turquoise, magenta and lavender, so the scenes look slightly unreal and feel like memories of a holiday the viewer never took.

How does Nathan Head create his chromatic nostalgism images?

Head starts with real photographs and reworks them through color grading, which adjusts hue, saturation and brightness. He then finishes the images with digital editing. The result depends on a deliberate clash between warm and cool tones.

What are the specifications of the “You Know Where To Find Me” print?

The print is a fine art poster on matte paper that measures 10.3 mil thick and weighs 5.6 ounces per square yard (192 grams per square meter), with 94 percent opacity. It is made with giclée printing, and the listing offers sizes from 8×10 to 18×24.

How did Nathan Head’s upbringing influence his photography?

Head grew up in Bournemouth, an English coastal town, and the sea shaped his interest in his subject matter. It remains one of his favorite themes, and the sea anchors much of his work.