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By the Water: Sherrie Nickol explores daily life at New York City's fascinating beaches

What does one do when the weather's stiflingly hot? In New York City, they escape the heat by flocking to nearby beaches where they soak up the sun and enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea. Coney Island, Fort Tilden and Jacob Riis Park in Queens, Great Kills Park and Midland Beach on Staten Island, Manhattan Beach, Plum Beach in Brooklyn, Orchard Beach in the Bronx... these are just a few of the sanded beaches that New Yorkers are lucky to have on their own doorstep.

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A crowded New York City beach in summer with beachgoers sunbathing and swimming, with city buildings visible along the shoreline in the distance

For local photographer Sherrie Nickol, she believes these city beaches offer a fascinating picture of daily life, and wanted to capture the spirit of the urban seaside. "What excited me particularly when I began to explore these beaches was the multi-ethnicity of families, teens and friends all enjoying their time by the ocean, which was only a subway ride away," she explains.

This particular collection of images – part of an ongoing series entitled By the Water – was taken in the summer of 2016, although to look at them, with their black and white, nostalgic style, you'd be forgiven for assuming they're from another decade. Perhaps the '70s or '80s.

These shots are of the people and sights at beaches located within the five boroughs of New York City. You can discover more at sherrienickol.com.

Sherrie studied photography at the University of Cincinnati and later at the International Center of Photography in New York City. She works out of her NOHO studio in NYC where she manages both her fine art projects and her commercial clients. In recent years she has used her talents to work on projects about people and their environments for various commercial clients: Canon, The Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart, Philips, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, Bayer, Columbia University, JP Morgan Chase and YMCA.

All images courtesy of Sherrie Nickol

Crowded New York City beach with swimmers and beachgoers in the sea and sand, with tall buildings visible along the shoreline in black and white
Two people lie on the sand at a New York City beach with the skyline and amusement park rides visible across the water in black and white
A crowd of beachgoers in swimming attire gather on a wooden boardwalk overlooking the sand and sea, with children in striped swimsuits walking amongst adults on a sunny day.
Black and white photograph of beachgoers in summer clothing standing on sand, part of Sherrie Nickol's By the Water series documenting New York City beaches
Beachgoers relaxing on the sand at Coney Island with the iconic Ferris wheel visible in the background, captured in black and white
Beachgoers relax and sunbathe on the sand at a New York City beach with tall apartment buildings visible in the background
Six young women sitting together on the sand at a New York City beach, with crowds visible in the background, in black and white photography by Sherrie Nickol
Beachgoers relax on sand in front of a row of apartment buildings and a boardwalk structure in this black and white photograph of an urban New York City beach
Bathers sunbathing on sand at a New York City beach with apartment buildings and crowds in the background, captured in black and white
Group of women and girls sitting together on the sand at a New York City beach, with apartment buildings visible in the background
Beach-goers in summer attire and hats stand on sand with surfboards and luggage in black and white photograph
Mounted police officer on horseback patrolling a crowded New York City beach with a large white cross visible in the background
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