Long Beach Island’s 18-mile stretch of land, dotted with small towns and long expanses of white sand, is picturesque to everyone who visits. During the summer of 2020, amid COVID-19 restrictions and closures, Susan Lodato, a photographer and new resident of LBI, used the bleak entertainment scene to her advantage by taking more time to develop her passion for photography.

Now, under the moniker Flying Solo, Lodato is a world traveler, blogger, vagabond and artist, trying on life from a new perspective.

Lodato was a young mother years ago when she first visited LBI beaches.