On The Beach

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Photographing people on beaches is an aggression. McCulloh and collaborator Jacques Garnier spent years photographing people on California and Florida beaches. They pick a spot on the sand and set up unforgiving studio lights and a high-resolution camera. Then they let people pose before the lens. In truth, they are setting a trap.

"Beaches are half display, half voyeurism," stated the Southeast Museum of Photography about the project. "This is the precise terrain of photography - one side posing, the other looking. Cameras belong on the beach."

The photographers set up studio lighting at crowded beaches and "sample the passing parade like scientists who periodically dip water out of a flowing stream." The resulting photographs are "infinitely less guarded than posed portraits," states arts writer Laura Stewart. "They tell vivid stories about the beach and its people, and about those of us who are given the unusual freedom to stare."

The Southeast Museum of Photography in Daytona Beach, Florida originated an exhibition and book on the project. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art purchased a portfolio for their permanent collection. The work has been shown at museums, among them Laguna Art Museum; Autry National Center of the American West, Los Angeles; Southeast Museum of Photography; California Museum of Photography; and Lancaster Museum of Art and History.

"Garnier and McCulloh's odd beach populace are more akin to those found in Diane Arbus's New York City or August Sander's Germany who, each in their own way, approached their native lands as unfamiliar ones... In the case of these artists, their portraits are not only documentaries, but allegories for their times." -Tyler Stallings, chief curator, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California 

Photo Description

Tina and Bobby, California

 

Josh, California

Ashley and Dustin, Florida

Casey and David, Florida

Vessie, California

Louis, California

Kate, Colleen and Kelly, Florida

Blair, Florida

Sara and Ali, California

Nick, Florida

Lance, Florida

Christian, California

Norma, California

Omar, California

David, California

Donna, California

Buck, Florida

Margo, California

Ashlyn, Florida

Matt, California

Britanny, California

Stephen and Sophie, California

Chanel, Florida

Dougherky, California

Ettiene, California

A.W., California

Bob, California

Dr. Bill, California

Anita, California

Josh, Florida

Josh, California

Maria, Florida

Megan, Florida

Brandon, Florida

Louis, California

Photo

Tina and Bobby, California -  Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Josh, California, Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Ashley and Dustin, Florida, Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Casey and David, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Vessie, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Louis, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Kate, Colleen and Kelly, Florida -  Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Blair, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Sara and Ali, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Nick, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Lance, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Christian, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Norma, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Omar, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
David, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Donna, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Buck, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Margo, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Ashlyn, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Matt, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Britanny, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Stephen and Sophie, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Chanel, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Dougherky, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Ettiene, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
A.W., California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Bob, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Dr. Bill, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Anita, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Josh, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Josh, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Maria, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Megan, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Brandon, Florida - Photo by Douglas McCulloh
Louis, California - Photo by Douglas McCulloh

Photo Summary

Beach photographs unlike any others: quirky, engaging, and often starkly revealing. On The Beach rises from a powerfully straightforward idea-go to beaches and capture a cross-section of beachgoers. The concept of sampling drives the project.