A little higher and to the left. Turn. Snap.
A little lower — pout the lips. Snap, snap.
Bigger eyes — snap.
Lie on your side — snap.
Casually drape the towel — snap.
“No towel is better,” the universe whispers. Snap.
More hips — snap.
Again, a different angle. Snap.
Wrong angle — move the phone down to your feet. Snap.
Meanwhile, clouds play zen on the horizon.
Waves whisper softly.
There are maybe as many of us on the beach as there are in a deserted cabin after New Year’s.
A few minutes of focused tapping on the phone.
Then a ten-minute “soul reset.”
But the soul apparently has weak reception — so the phone returns to my hand.
My face tells the truth: everything’s wrong.
Delete. Start again. Life is one big draft.
Do It Differently
Face into the sun — snap.
Expression #1 — snap.
Smile — snap.
Smaller smile — snap.
Lift the chest, change the angle, try another one, and another.
Snap, snap.
Chin alert — raise the phone.
Snap.
Dreamy eyes — snap.
Happy eyes — snap.
Desiring eyes — snap.
(Maybe they crave likes, who knows.)
A portrait won’t do. The whole body.
Snap.
Relax the chest — snap.
And try again — snap, snap, snap.
It’s beginning to feel like yoga, minus the peace.
Half an Hour In
Honestly?
I’m actually starting to enjoy it. For real.
Snap, snap…
Feet dipped in water — snap.
Sand sticking to my ankles — snap.
Tuck in my stomach — snap.
Lie down low in the sand like a romantic seal — snap.
My face keeps trying:
snap, snap, dreamy — snap, romantic — snap, passionate — snap.
Finally satisfied.
But only about 62% there.
Back to tapping my phone.
Another ten-minute dose of “humility.”
Calmer.
But not content.
(Contentment is an expensive commodity, apparently — even in the premium version.)
One More Try
Snap.
Another angle. Snap, snap.
Two hours on the beach are gone.
And honestly, I should probably go.
Even if I didn’t have to — this staged beach romance is starting to bore me.
And likes? They’re clearly on a siesta.
Instagram is a bitch
I used to claim that a good camera was the key to a good photo. I’m starting to lose faith. There are moments when not even the finest Leica lens could resurrect the likes.
Maybe enlightenment would help. But that usually comes with no Wi-Fi.
Let’s head to the mountains instead. No one’s chasing likes up there — maybe just the wind. Do you know El Limonero or Caminito del Rey?
