According to good ole Wikipedia, “people watching” or “crowd watching” is defined as “the act of observing people and their interactions, usually without their knowledge. It involves picking up on idiosyncrasies to try and guess at another person’s story.” I love people watching. The colors, the clothes, the hair, the scary-looking man talking to himself, the little sister beating up her brother, the guy with blue dreads. People are funny. And interesting. And definitely worth taking the time to slow down and simply watch. I love it. So when we headed to the beach this summer, I knew I had to have the camera nearby for my time in the sun. I’m not one of those who just stares aimlessly out to sea or snoozes in the sand. If I’m not reading, I’m watching. And the beach does not disappoint. All of these were taken with my long lens from my rusty, blue, beach chair. The subjects either walked in front of me or nearby but close enough that I didn’t have to move. My husband even got used to my project and pointed out interesting folks. Once we got home and I uploaded the images, I loved the characters but wasn’t happy with the busy ocean behind them which seemed to take away from their story. I also wanted to somehow interpret the figures as fine art photography instead of looking at the images as documentation. So I blurred the background and really concentrated on the details of the people. I wanted to pick them out of the everyday beach scene and present them as something artistic. I’m so excited about this series and would really love to know what you think. Please feel free to critique good, bad, you name it. So without further ado, grab a towel and a fruity, frozen drink and join me on the beach. Here’s the view from MY chair! 
Please continue on in the circle by visiting by friend Susan to see her GORGEOUS work!
Susan, Susan Grace Photography, Hammonton, NJ.
