August 12, 2025

Walking to an empty beach in November

A friend suggested an empty beach in November months ago, and this week I finally went. The light was cold and clear, and night trains kept pulling my attention away from anything I had planned to photograph.

The café near an empty beach in November still serves the same cinnamon buns; I had two and pretended it was research. Working with a 50mm lens forces you to slow down. You think twice before pressing the shutter, and that changes the pictures.

I underexposed most of the frames on purpose, to keep the mood cold and clear rather than bright. Most of the morning went into watching night trains; I took fewer frames than usual, but each one felt deliberate.

Halfway through I switched to black and white, which suited the cold and clear weather much better. Shooting with a 50mm lens meant I had to get closer than I am used to, which was uncomfortable at first.

The full set of photos will go into the archive once the film comes back from the lab.