Perhaps there is no “anti-subject” for me, i.e. the last thing I would want to photograph, more detestable than a crowded Summer beach full of bathers. Not only I do not enjoy photographing people — unless they are “figures” in a broader context, sometimes to give a sense of scale in a landscape or near a building —, but I believe that a Summer beach packed with bathers is the most chaotic, cacophonous, and foul-smelling thing one can find (noises and odors are not captured by a photo, but somehow, for me, they are evoked by the images).

It is truly incomprehensible how people enjoy these places; to quote Hercule Poirot in “Evil Under the Sun”:

«No bodies on Smugglers’ Island.»
«Ah! But that, it is not strictly true.» He pointed downward. «Regard them there, lying out in rows. What are they? They are not men and women. There is nothing personal about them. They are just—bodies!»

For this reason, in Summer I stay away from crowded beaches. There isn’t even the option of going shortly after dawn, when there are few people, because the aesthetics are still ruined by the equipment of the beach resorts. There is always the option of less accessible stretches of free beach, but the heat that characterizes even the early morning hours discourages me.

Of course, it depends on the stretch of coastline being considered. In Bretagne or Croatia, for instance, the abundance of islands and islets close to the coast would make for an excellent subject; unfortunately, in this season, the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, already quite distant, are often rendered invisible by the haze. As is happening right now, on a day that so far is neither here nor there.

The sun is trying to break through the layer of clouds, without much success; the most it is achieving is a bit more light and a slight hint of blue where the clouds are a bit thinner. The haze over the sea, however, remains quite thick, obstructing the view not only of the archipelago islands, but also of the Uccellina mountains.

But it’s an atmosphere I don’t dislike, and so, I’m experimenting a walk along the shore, carrying only two “characterful” lenses: the TTArtisan 100mm F2.8 Bubble Bokeh (a modern clone of the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8) and the Zenit Helios 44-2 58mm ƒ/2. I will use both strictly at full aperture (with a few exceptions) so that their characteristic low-contrast rendering enhances the feeling of being in a “suspended world”; and I will enhance it further in post-production, reducing contrast and saturation, so that only a faint hint of color remains.

The medium telephoto focal length (150mm equivalent) and the complete absence of subjects at close range suggest a decidedly minimalist style, making use of the few boats — unfortunately with sails furled, given the calm — visible toward the horizon; or the occasional seagull flying at a great distance.

Reaching the wilder part of the beach, I’m moving away from the shore to reach the back-dune area, where I can easily find flowering plants of the common sea daffodil (Pancratium maritimum). It’s a plant I’ve known since I was a child (probably one of the first wild species I learned to identify), but of which — curiously — I have only very few photos. I'm mainly using the Zenit Helios 44-2 58mm ƒ/2 to achieve a distinctive blur, taking advantage of the fact that the flower is large and generally grows at a good distance from other plants, offering very good separation.

For a few other shots, I'm moving a bit farther from the subject and use the TTArtisan 100mm F2.8 Bubble Bokeh.

Beach grass (Ammophila littoralis) is also an interesting subject, both in color and in monochrome. I'm taking advantage of the relatively clear stretch of coastline and the temporary absence of walkers along the shoreline to include the sea; although, somewhat surprisingly, a stand-up paddleboarder enters the scene.

A few minutes later, the paddleboarder becomes the subject of a new series of shots, providing me with a far more interesting visual anchor than the buoys.

The encouraging results of the first session prompt me to do an encore, this time in the afternoon; in similar conditions, but with a bit of wind and waves; the sun is slightly more intense and, nearing sunset, is bathing everything in a warm orange hue.

Suddenly, a bather emerges from the water in a shallow area. I shoot instinctively, considering that this is an absolutely atypical subject for me. I’m not displeased with the result, which adds a visual anchor in an elegant pose against the blurred line of the hills.