Backs to the Beach
“These are days you'll remember.”
- 10,000 Maniacs, “These Are Days”
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Back in 2010, I had a pretty great photography gig. I booked destination photo shoots with families vacationing at Mid-Atlantic beach resorts.
The idea was simple. I would meet up with a family and spend some time following them around with a camera. Instead of bringing everyone into a formal studio, the beach and resort became the backdrop. They walked the boardwalk, played in the sand, headed down to the water while I created environmental portraits along the way.
Looking back, there was a lot to love about that job. I got to spend an afternoon outside, in the sun and sand, with a camera in my hands, photographing families while they were on vacation. There are certainly worse ways to make a living as a photographer.
These photographs came from one of those family photo sessions in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
During the session, I found myself taking photos of other people enjoying the beach. Most were facing the water with their backs to me, heading into the surf, playing in the waves, or just watching the ocean.
They were simply outtakes, little moments happening between the photographs I was there to make. Somewhere along the way, they became a small collection of their own.
Street photography without the street. Backs to the Beach.
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Technical Notes:
All photographs were captured with a Canon DSLR and Canon EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. The images were processed in Adobe Lightroom and enhanced with Adobe Photoshop using Nik Software's Viveza. The photographs are presented in a 16:9 format.
