Richard Misrach on Capturing Beach Scenes from a Balcony

Eyeing the seaside from the safety of a hotel balcony in Hawaii, Richard Misrach skimmed the sands for an intimate glimpse at beach-goers mingling among the surf—caught mid-headstand or perhaps collapsed upon a beach towel. “Ninety-nine percent of the time I’ve gone in search of images, but for this series, I’m in one spot and all the images come to me,” he said of the works, part of the series titled “On the Beach 2.0”. Although historically, Misrach is known for his use of the slow-moving, large format 8x10 film camera, his recent switch to digital technology embraces a faster process and the ability to capture sharp details at a moment’s notice—even from a bird’s eye, balcony view.