My Book Cover!

At long last, I’m thrilled to share my Beach Lovers book cover. What a decision it was. I agonized over this decision for a long time. Weeks. I asked friends. I debated with my book editor. I did a private Instagram poll. I went back and forth so many times I lost count.

I had one image in mind for a couple of years actually. And it wasn’t this one. But each time I’d look at my choice, a photo I took in Coney Island, my mind would return to the photo above and I couldn’t shake it. I love this photo so much.

Here are some reasons why: I shot this photo in July 2015, in my first two months of the series, on an old film camera that the ocean eventually broke. I’m proud that a photo I shot so early on in this series (and in my photo career) could be so strong. I love that she’s in jeans and heels on the beach, on a very sticky day no less. I love that it feels like it could be 1950, 1980 or yesterday. I love that this beloved part of Rockaway is so recognizable to so many of us.

While Coney Island and Brighton Beach make their appearances in the series, the majority of the photos were taken on the Rockaway Peninsula. I have spent the last seven years of this series swimming, sunbathing, nightlife-ing and of course, shooting and looking for couples along the beaches of Rockaway, Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis. I realized, in my many hours of agonizing, that it felt necessary to choose an image that was taken in Rockaway. So here it is, and I love it. I love my cover.

The book itself will be out in June. More details to come.