In Passing: Apparently, I Have a Thing for Umbrellas

September 16, 2026 • Leave a Comment

Colors of the BeachOn the sand in St. Maarten, a thatched grass umbrella comes into focus, while the background — blue sky, greenish water, and soft sandy beach — blurs into a wash of color. A shallow depth of field travel photograph that captures the essence of the beach: simple, colorful, and relaxing.📸 Sometimes all it takes is an umbrella to say “beach.” I apparently have a thing for umbrellas.

I realized recently that I have dozens of photographs of them on my phone that I've never shared with anyone. Most are taken looking straight up through the umbrella, usually with the sun behind it. I love the way the light comes through and the ribs radiate out from the center, almost like sun rays.

This one was on a beach in St. Maarten and caught my attention for the same reason, only this time it was thatch instead of fabric. All those individual pieces radiating out toward the edge were enough to make me stop and photograph yet another umbrella.

I'm curious whether I'm alone in this. Do you have some random thing you find yourself photographing over and over again, even if you never actually do anything with the pictures?

Keywords: beach umbrella photography, everyday photography, In Passing photography series, personal photography, photographic observations, photography inspiration, St. Maarten photography, things photographers notice, travel photography, umbrella photography

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