Notes Between Us /001
A sophisticated summer cocktail and thoughts Martin Parr's social lens; a few classic beach reads for long summer days; visual homages in luxury branding, and more
Hello. We hope you're managing amid all that's unfolding right now. Like many of you, we've been wrestling with the pull of constant news cycles—that unconscious reach for our phones, the ongoing tension between staying informed and staying sane. We hope this letter adds a little calm and culture to your day, even if just for a few moments.
We're writing from the seaside, where we’ve been hiding away since Saturday. P. and I have been talking about creating space for different kinds of conversations, those that happen between lovers when the world feels too much. Notes Between Us is our attempt at that—a series where we share what's been catching our attention lately: cultural moments and ideas, fleeting observations, reflections, and things worth pausing for. Think of it as our personal marginalia—the notes we'd scribble in the margins of our shared life.
This first edition includes Martin Parr's provocative British social photography, classic beach reads that look beyond sunny surfaces, a crowd-pleasing coconut mezcal spritz, Flamingo Estate's sophisticated visual borrowing from Irving Penn and William Eggleston, and more.
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MARTIN PARR /british documentary photographer
This week, P. introduced me to the work of Martin Parr, the British documentary photographer and photobook collector. Though his name was unfamiliar, I recognised several of his images immediately. Parr's photographic work examines modern British life through an unflinching lens, particularly the social stratifications of England and the broader material culture of Western society. His images provoke uncomfortable questions about voyeurism and intent—P. found his approach exploitative, while I remained uncertain.
Much of his output from the Thatcher years generated heated debate, especially his unflattering portraits of working-class leisure. Critics questioned whether Parr was offering honest social documentation or indulging in something more predatory—transforming ordinary lives into spectacle for middle-class consumption. The photography world has largely embraced his work as necessary social commentary, though Parr himself maintains that “all photography involving people has an element of exploitation”, comparing his method to staging “a soap opera where I am waiting for the right cast to fall into place.”
Parr approaches photography as an ongoing study of human behaviour—how people interact, relax, and position themselves within their social contexts. He's drawn to the ways individuals display their values and identities, whether they're spectators at championship polo matches, tourists navigating Switzerland, or students at England's most traditional institutions. His eye captures moments that are simultaneously absurd and ordinary, maintaining a perspective that's both critical and affectionate. Unusually, Parr presents the same images across multiple platforms—gallery walls, art books, advertisements, and editorial spreads. More recently, he's expanded into filmmaking while experimenting with fashion photography's visual language.
ARTICLES /of interest from around the internets
What’s Happening to Reading? | The New Yorker
“What do you read, and why? A few decades ago, these weren’t urgent questions. Reading was an unremarkable activity, essentially unchanged since the advent of the modern publishing industry, in the nineteenth century.”
What happens the day after humanity creates AGI?
“Predictions about the impacts of artificial general intelligence (AGI) often focus on societal disruptions, such as job displacement or the rise of AI-driven manipulation. But computer scientist Louis Rosenberg argues that AGI’s most profound effect may be more personal: a philosophical identity crisis. If we choose to thoughtlessly outsource our thinking to AGI, Rosenberg argues we’ll be fundamentally undermining what it means to be human.”
Ingredients for brilliance
“An immersive ‘flow state’ isn’t only accessible to great artists and athletes. You can find your flow too. Here’s how.”
What Isaac Asimov Reveals About Living with A.I.
“In the spring of 1940, Isaac Asimov, who had just turned twenty, published a short story titled ‘Strange Playfellow’. It was about an artificially intelligent machine named Robbie that acts as a companion for Gloria, a young girl. Asimov was not the first to explore such technology.”
DRINKS /summer cocktail
Coconut Water Mezcal Spritz (Yax Cha)1
This cocktail works on contrasts—the salty edge of pimiento olives against mezcal's smoky character, with elderflower liqueur adding floral sweetness and ginger syrup bringing warmth.
Coconut water mellows the strong alcohol while introducing tropical and mineral notes. Without much natural acidity in the mix, Champagne becomes essential, cutting through the richness with crisp bubbles and adding nutty complexity. Half-bottles of Champagne work perfectly here—you'll find them at most wine shops and liquor stores.
Ingredients
1 cup coconut water (such as Vita Coco)
1 cup dry vermouth
3 ounces ginger syrup
3 ounces mezcal
1 1/2 ounces elderflower liqueur (such as St-Germain)
1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth
1 (375-millilitre) bottle brut Champagne
Garnish: Pimiento-stuffed olives
Directions
Make the base mix: Stir together coconut water, dry vermouth, ginger syrup, mezcal, elderflower liqueur, and sweet vermouth in a large bowl with a spout until combined.
When ready to serve, top base mix with Champagne and stir to combine.
To serve, place a large ice cube in each of 12 chilled rocks glasses; divide the cocktail evenly among glasses.
Option to garnish with olives.
via Food & Wine
(Top image: Greg Dupree; Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling by Christina Daley)
CLASSIC BEACH READS /more than summer escapism
I love the idea of classic beach reads—those pulpy page-turners perfect for whiling away sunny hours. Walking along the beach this week, it was beautiful but also eerily quiet. The serenity made me think of two New York Times pieces I’d been reading: one celebrating the 50th anniversary of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel Jaws, and another marking the golden anniversary of perhaps Spielberg’s most enduring cinematic masterpiece adapted from Benchley’s novel.
As I wandered that beautiful, serene stretch of sand, I found myself thinking about somewhat forgotten beach towns—or as we say in the UK, seaside towns. These places are always quite similar, carrying a slight edge, a veneer, a grittiness you can spot if you look closely. On the surface, they’re wholesome family vacation spots filled with swimming, first romances, and carefree sunshine. Visitors flood in for the short summer season, but there’s another side: the locals who work in tourism year-round. What happens when they have a bad season, or when people stop coming altogether?
I think that’s why Jaws, after 50 years—whether the book or the film—still endures. It’s the human element, that tension beneath the surface.
BOOKS /other classic beach reads
Fletch follows investigative reporter Irwin M. Fletcher working undercover on a California beach to expose a drug ring when wealthy businessman Alan Stanwyk offers him $50,000 to commit murder. While the 1985 Chevy Chase film played it for laughs, McDonald’s 1974 original novel perfectly captures that sun-soaked California beach atmosphere with quick-witted dialogue and a fast-paced mystery. It’s the ideal beach read—light enough for vacation but engaging enough to keep you turning pages between swims.
Tapping the Source follows young Ike Tucker as he travels to Huntington Beach to investigate his sister’s mysterious death, diving into the dangerous world of 1980s surf culture, drugs, and violence. Kem Nunn’s gritty novel captures the dark underbelly of Southern California beach life, where surfing obsession meets criminal enterprises and broken dreams. It’s a perfect beach read that contrasts the beautiful ocean setting with raw, noir-style storytelling—giving you both the surf culture atmosphere and a compelling mystery to devour seaside.
The Beach House follows Jack Mullen, a young law student who returns to his wealthy Hamptons hometown to investigate his brother’s suspicious death, uncovering corruption among the elite summer community. Patterson delivers his trademark fast-paced thriller as Jack battles powerful enemies who’ll do anything to protect their secrets, including framing him for murder. It’s an ideal beach read that uses the glamorous Hamptons setting to explore dark themes of privilege and justice—perfect for readers who want a page-turning thriller that matches their seaside location.
HOMAGES /in photography
I follow Flamingo Estate on Instagram, and I'm constantly struck by how their product photography echoes Irving Penn's iconic still life aesthetic, raising questions about homage versus imitation in luxury branding. The Penn DNA can be seen in that signature stark, neutral backdrop that eliminates all distraction; the sculptural arrangements that treat everyday objects as art pieces; the dramatic lighting that creates form and shadow; the way objects seem to float in space, removed from context; and that particular kind of commercial photography that elevates products to fine art status.
Penn's work, especially his later still lifes of cigarette butts, food, and small objects, transformed commercial photography by bringing museum-quality composition to product imagery. His influence on contemporary luxury branding photography is enormous.
The visual connection isn't accidental. Stephanie Stamatis, who handles art direction and styling for Flamingo Estate alongside Phillip Huynh, consistently draws from Penn's vocabulary across her portfolio—something we've noted in her work before.
Flamingo Estate isn't just emulating Penn—they're translating his language into their brand story. Penn's work often had an almost clinical perfection, while these images inject warmth and earthiness. The tomato balanced precariously on the soap, the vine growing from the bar—there's a playful organic quality that Penn's more austere compositions typically avoided.
It could be argued that luxury brands today almost have to reference Penn to signal sophistication. His visual vocabulary has become shorthand for elevated product photography. The question becomes: when does homage cross into pastiche? And does it matter if the execution serves the brand's story effectively?
And while on the topic, William Eggleston's influence can also be found in other images, namely in that casual, found-moment aesthetic with saturated domestic scenes. Flamingo Estate's tomato abundance photo (above) channels the same energy as Untitled from the series The Democratic Forest: the slightly chaotic scatter, the warm domestic setting, that sense of natural plenty that feels discovered rather than arranged. It's a study of Eggleston's vernacular approach applied to the brand’s luxury farm-to-table narrative.
It's actually quite a sophisticated visual strategy—borrowing Penn's elevated product photography language for individual items, then switching to Eggleston's more naturalistic approach for lifestyle/context shots.
VIBE CODING /an unexpected wisdom manual
This fascinating project, created by Rick Rubin as a coding-focused adaptation of the Tao Te Ching, reveals something remarkable when read more broadly. While it began as guidance for programmers seeking flow and clarity in their work, it transforms naturally into a surprisingly accessible life manual for anyone navigating modern existence.
LISTENING /laidback summer soundtrack
MOOD BOARD /summertime
That’s all for now. Until next time…
P&R
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