My project began with an interest in the absurd, inspired by the square-format portraits of Lisette Model, Diane Arbus, and Rosalind Solomon. I took my Mamiya C220 to Coney Island, a place for those who can’t afford the Hamptons, expecting to find the funny or the strange.
What I found instead was something more powerful: a pervasive, unbothered confidence. I observed people creating small havens for themselves on the sand. They possessed a striking “I don’t care what you think” attitude, evident in both their behavior and their attire.
This resonated deeply. At the beaches I knew as a child in India, women were always covered head to toe. Seeing anyone in a swimsuit was rare. The scene at Coney Island was the opposite—not defiance, but a profound comfort with the self. These were people who, in that moment, didn’t give a damn who was looking. They were there to simply be.
This understanding crystallized in two encounters. The first was a man stretched out in a yellow speedo. I set up my camera right behind him, focusing on his numerous freckles. He got up, turned, and looked at me. I waved; he simply lay back down, and I took the shot. Later, I saw another man browsing his phone, his pose almost feminine, yet exuding a confidence that rooted him to the spot. He, too, saw me aim my camera and, unbothered, returned to his phone.
These images capture that essence: a public display of private comfort, a shared freedom on a crowded beach.
Shot with a Mamiya C220 medium-format camera.
