Beach Blanket Memories: Good Morning, Spring Lake

Spring Lake, New Jersey has become a second home for my family. With its pristine beachfront, gorgeous homes, and charming B&B's, it's little wonder. I can't pick my favorite time of day in Spring Lake, but early morning is a strong contender. The stately homes that line the streets of Spring Lake are quiet, beautiful monuments to summer days that end all too quickly. And the sky - the early morning sky in Spring Lake is at its most intense, with blues that reflect the waters below, and streaks of yellowy-orange. 

Beach Blanket Memories: Bright Blue Breakers Beauty

When it comes to the beach, any day is a good day, even when it's a cool, crisp day in early spring. I photographed this at The Breakers Hotel and Resort, that lovely iconic property that makes brides-to-be and golfers, alike, swoon. But, on this day, it was all about the blues - of the sky and of the water - and the bright snap of yellow of the flag mounted on the lifeguard stand. 

Photograph by Shannon Finney, West Palm Beach, Florida, March 2013

Beach Blanket Memories: Sea and Shadows

As we approach summer's end, and the first anniversary of super storm Sandy, it's nice to think back to memories from summer's past, especially to those summers I've spent in Spring Lake, New Jersey. After a day on the beach, the setting sun marks the start of another favorite beach past time - walking the boardwalk. And while Sandy left its marks on the Spring Lake boardwalk, it can never destroy these surf side memories.

Photograph by Shannon Finney, Spring Lake, New Jersey, August 2010

Toes in the Sand for a Little Weekend Ahhh:)

It's the weekend and (hopefully) the end of your work week, so why not take a mental escape to blue skies, sandy beaches, and water that's just the right temperature:)

Key West, Florida, February 2013, photo by Shannon Finney

The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida, February 2013, photo by Shannon Finney 

Travelog: A Quiet Moment on the Gulf of Thailand

Photograph by Shannon Finney, Pran Buri, Thailand, 2008

During these hot August days, when the heat is unrelenting and oppressive,

it's nice to think of days spent on a beach, enjoying cool ocean breezes.

This is one of my favorite photographs. I shot it on location in Pran Buri,

about two and a half hours drive from Bangkok, Thailand. I remember

the quiet - just the water lapping up to the shore and the whisper of

the breeze through the gauze of the curtains separating the room from

the terrace. It was that whisper I wanted to capture, to freeze that

sound, or at least the idea of that sound.

Life Is a Beach: Hot Sand, Blue Sky

From the Life Is a Beach series, photographed August 2010, Spring Lake, New Jersey by Shannon Finney

The sun, sand, sky and sea often combine to make the most interesting

pictures. I know that shooting in the bright, midday sun is usually viewed as

an exercise in frustration. The best books on photography characterize a

photographer's relationship with direct sunlight as adversarial, so I decided to

embrace the sunlight in this photograph. It's a lot of fun to break the rules,

and it seems that there's no better time than while on vacation:)