If you went to the sea and took a photo of it around midday, the sea would almost certainly appear much darker. The effect of this unnaturally light background is twofold: it makes the models stand out, but more
interestingly, it actually simulates how we would see the background in harsh sunlight without sunglasses very light
and slightly fuzzy, due to the smarting of the eyes. The visually inaccurate, but psychologically correct portrayal of the background gives this image its mysterious appeal. The enigmatic quality is heightened by the fact that the models stare away from us, so that we can't see their faces, and appear to be looking at something out on the "sea", to the right, and beyond the frame of the picture. What are they looking at? What are their faces like? And where exactly is this seaside location?