Coney Island Mermaid Parade: Happy Pairs & Warrior Women?

Last month, June 18 to be exact, I ventured out to Coney Island for the annual Mermaid Parade.  It's the perfect place to capture images of people in costumes.  

As you may know, I feel that portrait photography isn't my strong point.  But, I knew moments after I started taking photos that sunny Saturday, that the majority of my photos were going to be portraits.  What I hadn't envisioned was that I would create a black and white series.  The colorful costumes are wonderful sights but when I started editing I kept seeing them sans color!

More photos HERE

In keeping with the water theme, the above images capture a couple of striking Viking ladies.

 

Above, the first couple were a part of the parade ... a sailor and his bride, again keeping with the water theme of the parade.  The second couple apparently got married on the beach after the parade.

I didn't turn all of the photos black and white.  Color images can be found HERE.

Springtime Love

Springtime is here!  The weather is warm.  Flowers and trees are blooming. Couples are saying, "I do!"  What better time than to visit Central Park and take some photos.  That's just what I did a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not big on taking photos of people.  Well, I should say, I'm not big on taking photos of people who aren't on a stage performing.  It's just not my thing and I frankly think my portrait photography skills need some work.  

Living in New York and roaming around with your camera in the parks and on streets, you of course end up with people photos.  This particular day, I happened upon three sets of newly married couples.  Surprisingly, I took some people photos that I don't hate!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Of all the couples I saw that day, this couple was by far my favorite.  The photos below depict the couple going and coming on the lawn near the entrance gates of the Conservatory Garden. With people photos it's rare for me to want something specific.  With non-performing people, I tend to take my time deciding what I want.  This time I knew exactly what I wanted the minute I saw them preparing. The first two photos I saw in my head as black and white images even though I was shooting in color.  Also, I knew that I wanted the couple off center with a big dollop of space on the right.

 

Uh-oh!  The groom spotted me taking a photo of him and his beautiful bride as she adjusted her tiara.  Her gown was beautiful.  I love the casual happy expression on the grooms face.

In the first photo, the lovely bride talking on her mobile phone while her groom (who saw me taking the photo) held the dog whose collar was adorned with flowers.  In the second photo, the couple walking down one of the many paths of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.

This anti-focus shot I grabbed spur of the moment as yet another happy couple walked past me. This time, near Bethesda Fountain.  I wasn't sure how this one was going to turn out.  I desaturated the color and darkened the edges and found that I like the dreamy, romantic vibe of this photo.