Lindsay Havlicek Bell always dreamed of living at the beach. So a couple of years ago, she took a chance and followed her dream. She donated her belongings, bid farewell to the snow and cold of upstate New York and moved to the beach.
Now a resident of Florida’s Gulf Coast, a local in South Walton, she documents her love of the beach in the photos she shares on her Instagram account. Her photos have an ethereal, almost watercolor quality.
“I’m a beach girl at heart. I love being able to see the water and breathe in the salty air every single day,” Bell said. “It makes me feel calm and happy.”
Bell and her husband took a three-day trip to Grayton Beach in 2015. It was all the convincing they needed. They decided to move to Florida, figuring “if we wanted it badly enough, we would be able to make it happen. We sold our house, donated our stuff and haven’t looked back,” Bell said.
Bell’s photos capture the serenity of the beach with pastel waters and warm sunsets. Her 1969 VW Beetle is featured prominently, evoking a sense of wanderlust.
Bell’s self-portraits of yoga on the beach are particularly stunning – and nothing short of motivational.
“Yoga is a huge part of my life – both the physical practice, as well as how I live off the mat. I love creating and sharing beautiful yoga photos to inspire other people to give it a try,” she said. “I take all of my own photos with a tripod, and thoroughly enjoy the creative process of shooting them.”
Besides her 2-year-old son, Bell’s favorite photographic subject is capturing anything related to her adopted beach lifestyle.
“I carry my camera with my everywhere I go,” she said. “There is always something beautiful to spot along 30-A.”
M.J. GRENZOW is a freelance writer who loves the beach and super-fast recipes that remind her of the water. When she’s not actually at the beach, she’s plotting her next escape to sand and surf.
