I always seem to end up taking photos of benches, often on the coast. They provide good foreground. Solid, clean lines to help structure an image. But there's more to it than that. An occupied bench offers a story: a group chatting; a lone person thinking; a couple sat in close comfort; or strangers just sharing time and space. An empty bench invites you and asks who would you want to sit there: friends; a loved one; a lost one; someone to laugh or cry with.
I was in Cefalù in Sicily this summer and got carried away with the great setting of the town, right on the shoreline. The beach gets crowded, as much with parasols as people. But the molo (cobb) provides more space and gives the best view, with the town's imposing rocky crag - La Rocca - sat behind. And there's a line of benches. A bench needs a good setting; and a good setting needs a bench. Sit back and ponder.
