For his new book ‘Beaches,’ photographer Gray Malin took to a helicopter.
By Alexandra Wolfe

ray Malin’s new book “Beaches” (Abrams, $40) was inspired by a vacation. On a trip to Las Vegas in 2011, the Los Angeles-based photographer took a picture of the pool at his hotel from 20 stories above; he liked it so much that he decided to take pictures of other pools from a doorless helicopter. Up in the air, he realized the beach was even more beautiful. “Pools were basically just gray,” he says.

Over the next five years, Mr. Malin photographed beaches in 20 different cities, from Dubai to Sydney, from the air. Even as his eyes streamed with tears from the wind, he says, he was captivated by the view. Looking down at the beaches, he says, it was “easy to forget that you’re leaning from a shaking helicopter.”


Mr. Malin wanted to photograph the Santa Monica, Calif., walkway in its simplest, most geometric form. When he looks for a beach to photograph, he’s attracted to repetition of shapes and forms. Photo: 2016 GRAY MALIN
(美國加州)


Many of the sunbathers Mr. Malin saw in Italy used beach umbrellas, whereas beach-goers in Sydney rarely used them. Here, a beach in Rimini, Italy. Photo: 2016 Gray Malin
(意大利Rimini)


Mr. Malin noticed that every beach club in Rimini, Italy, had different umbrellas. He tried to capture the patterns they created down the beach. Photo: 2016 GRAY MALIN
(意大利Rimini)


Mr. Malin photographed this crowded beach in Sydney on New Year’s Day. The sand and ocean were filled with more swimmers and sunbathers than he’d ever seen during a shoot. Photo: 2016 Gray Malin
(澳洲悉尼)


Flying over this beach in Barcelona, Mr. Malin directed the helicopter toward a cluster of bright umbrellas, only to discover there were no people there. It turned out to be a film set. Photo: 2016 Gray Malin
(西班牙巴塞羅那)


This shot of Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro reminds Mr. Malin of the children’s book series ‘Where’s Waldo?’ He liked the contrast between the colorful beach-goers and the soft, light-colored sand. Photo: 2016 Gray Malin
(巴西里約熱內盧)


These pink-and-white umbrellas in Miami reminded Mr. Malin of the art deco spirit of South Beach. Photo: 2016 Gray Malin
(美國佛羅里達州邁阿密)