Old School
Just one example of why the Mermaid Parade is a hoot.
Just one example of why the Mermaid Parade is a hoot.
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NIKON D3100
Aperture 28/5 ISO 400 Shutter 1/125 Focal Length 55/1 
Coney Island, New York, US
Jan, 2019Views
308
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
Coney Island USA, leaving the D subway at Stillwell Avenue prior to the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. Neither merman or mermaid, this gentleman and the thousands others that take part in this event make it a must see if visiting the New York City metro area. Watch it or go out of the box and participate.Time
A quite early arrival for the parade, I lingered out of the light rain near Stillwell and Surf Avenue and made this photograph about 10:30.Lighting
The natural light on this grey, rainy day was further flattened by the overhanging roof line of the buildings along Surf Avenue. Not a great day for a parade but (as always) a great day to have camera along side.Equipment
Nikon D3100 with a 55-200 Nikor zoom, auto exposure of 55 MM, 1/125, f-5.6.Inspiration
I had gone to the event for an exercise in spontaneous event photography, expecting to see the wild (and sometimes bawdy) costuming of parade participants as well as the eclectic variety of people in attendance that makes New York such a great place to visit and create..Editing
I started with a minor crop on the left side of the frame to remove a jumble of people in the background, Then I removed the color from the original, add increased contrast to allow a viewer to focus on the human in the lens rather than losing my subject in the distraction of colors in the scene.In my camera bag
I'm still pretty basic with two Nikon bodies (D3000 and 3100), a 35 MM prime, 18-55 MM and 55-200 MM zoom, and an 85 MM prime, all of which are Nikon.Feedback
As an impostor in the world of "real" professional photographers I wouldn't be so presumptuous to offer advice to anyone about the art of photography. The approach that I strive to achieve is to create an image that might make people think about the world in which they live but may not have personal experience. Long after taking this photo I discovered the identify of the gentleman in the frame thanks to his image appearing in another Viewbug members portfolio. Out of this comes the reminder (accompanied by an embarrassing lapse of awareness) that what's not seen in the photo may be more important than the photo itself..
