A Day at the Beach: The Photographs That Moved Them Most
A Day at the Beach: The Photographs That Moved Them Most
2 minute read
Abir, Munir, And Sullman Jaffa, 2002, from the series Testimony."When I made this photo in 2002, it felt like the beach was where the country came to escape the daily turmoil. Just the day before, a suicide bomber killed and injured many (in Israel). The innocence and rapture expressed here made me momentarily forget the tragedy that had just occurred down the street. This remains one of my favorite images I made at the beach because of the unbridled joy these children exude."Gillian Laub
Beach day is more than an activity; it’s an event, a summer tradition. From the era of layered Victorian bathing suit to today’s bikini and speedo days, the timeless weekend activity continues to entice outdoor lovers to kick off their heels and ditch the suit and tie for some prime sand time. And for photographers, the beach is a captivating place.
“I keep returning to shooting beaches all around the world,” the British photographer Martin Parr tells TIME. “I am tantalized by the similarities and differences in how each country regards their beaches. I love the spatial aspect of how a beach works, it has become my favored shooting location, and like a lemming I keep being drawn back to this subject.”
Over the years, photographers have returned to the bustling beaches to frame some of the world’s most charming human moments: photographer Arlene Gottfried’s humor in contradiction at Riis Beach framing a nude body builder with a jew, at Coney Island; Harvey Stein’s iconic man in a bow tie nods its head to a disappearing way of life; Parr traveled to India, capturing a quiet woman catching early morning rays, oblivious to the hustle of fishers behind her. Joseph Maida’s Hawaiian beaches examines the varied shores of layered identities, while Gillian Laub turns nostalgic to the childlike whimsy of beach play.
As summer reaches its final months, we take a look at the work of these photographers.
Kovalam in Kerala, India, 2016."This for me is a very good illustration of the contradictions around a modern tourist beach, such as Kovalam, one of the most popular beaches in Kerala. The traditional fishing industry is now in decline, with overfishing, but still the locals pull in their nets twice a day. Often they can earn more cash by asking the tourists for cash, than for actually selling their now, rather depleted fish catches. This particularly early morning tourist lies on the beach oblivious to the scene behind her."Martin Parr—Magnum PhotosHassid and Jewish Bodybuilder, 1980."The man showed up on Riis beach when there still was a nude bay and all the people started gathering around him. A nude man walks up to him and says take my picture with him because I am Jewish too!"Arlene GottfriedAbir, Munir, And Sullman Jaffa, 2002, from the series Testimony."When I made this photo in 2002, it felt like the beach was where the country came to escape the daily turmoil. Just the day before, a suicide bomber killed and injured many (in Israel). The innocence and rapture expressed here made me momentarily forget the tragedy that had just occurred down the street. This remains one of my favorite images I made at the beach because of the unbridled joy these children exude."Gillian LaubBlayze#2 (Filipino, Chinese, Irish, Spanish), 2012, from the series New Natives."Hawaii's varied shores provide an ideal backdrop for my portraits of the Islands' young men, who embody not only the layered identities of this place but also an inclusive vision of masculinity. It's meaningful to return again and again, even to the same beach, to discover that, much like people, the same place is never exactly the same on a different day, let alone a different season or year."Joseph Maida—Courtesy Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New YorkPriscilla, 1969."When my wife and I first moved to Long Island, a friend suggested I visit Jones Beach because of my love of
photographing people. The ever changing variety of people, faces, bodies, and expressions, decade after decade,
always fascinates me. Priscilla seems to embody strength and determination and the quality of a timeless image."Joseph Szabo—Courtesy Gitterman GalleryComfort Zone, 2013."I started this series because I was surprised how a certain place or surrounding can affect people's behavior. During our everyday life we attempt to hide our deficiencies, both physical and psychological. However, once we find ourselves on a beach – we forget about everything and start acting in an absolutely different manner."Tadao Cern02.07.10 #8, 2002, from the series Sea/Sky."I began a series of large-format photographs of the ocean surface, titled 'Ocean Details.’ I was interested in an abstracted view of the sea where I would basically set up the camera and just let the picture take itself.
I trekked out to the bluffs of Montauk, NY to photograph year round, in all weather conditions. Inspired by memories and drawings of the sea, I considered my subject matter a theater, a skin, a blank screen on which I could project an array of emotions."Joni Sternbach Untitled, 368
from the series Fire Island Pines, Polaroids 1975-1983.
"As a figurative photographer, [the beach] is one of the most natural places for me to make my art. [This photo] expresses the reason why we all love to come to the beach to play.”Tom BianchiConey Island, 1982.
"Wearing a long sleeved jacket and boots, I was on my knees, probably around two feet away from my subject: the lady in the bikini. A man came over and asked her, "What is he taking a picture of?" She pointed over there."Bruce Gilden—Magnum PhotosMan wearing bow tie, 1970."This photo was taken on the pier of the Coney Island Beach in Brooklyn during the summer of 1970. For me while it's quite graphic with the older man sitting against the sky, I think it shows a disappearing way of life, a man dressed with bow tie and long sleeved white shirt reading a book, with lunch on his lap, in the middle of summer at the beach. He's out of step with the people enjoying the beach below."Harvey Stein
