In addition to my interest in shooting and documenting Coney Island in its present state, my other main inspiration for this series was a series that my friend Bob Lussier did last winter. He called it “Off Season.” It featured winter photographs of Salisbury, Massachusetts, a beach/resort town, and like Coney Island, its heyday is behind it.
Bob certainly didn’t invent the idea of shooting a beach or resort location in its off season, but he did it really well, and the cumulative effect of the series was quite powerful. Oddly, it took me a while to think of connecting that series idea with Coney Island. That is largely because Salisbury appears from Bob’s series to be a true resort town, with few year round residents, while Coney Island is a few blocks away from the vibrant Brighton Beach neighborhood and also from public apartment houses with plenty of full time residents.
I thought that to get the fully deserted look that Bob captured, I would have to go further afield from New York City, but the opportunities were there. I should not have been surprised as I often manage to get such shots on early weekend mornings in the city. Even though two of the images I have already posted feature people, I could have shot them without people. Shooting them with the people was a choice. But when I looked down Surf Avenue and saw this opportunity to capture it completely empty of people or even cars, I had to take it.
And speaking of Bob, he is hosting today the latest round of our HDR collaboration. He’s showcasing our work on one of his Bolton-Emerson Americas series. It’s a treat and an honor to get to work on such great images and collaborate with such talented folks. Please go check it out.
Dave DiCello
16 Feb 2012Man this looks like something straight out of the ’60s, great shot for sure!
Dave DiCello recently posted..Back to Brooklyn
Jim Denham
16 Feb 2012Boy, that is empty! Love the softer toned yellows and blues down the street too! Good stuff Mark!
Jim Denham recently posted..Near Miss
Mark Neal
16 Feb 2012Great composition, Mark. I like the dramatically bold lines and the deserted look works perfectly.
Mark Neal recently posted..HDR – Across the River – Long Lens Landscapes
Chris Nitz
16 Feb 2012That is a perfect street to race some RC cars on!
Chris Nitz recently posted..The Pub, Some Friends, and Beer
Guia
17 Feb 2012So cool picture.. You really had a nice shot of the Coney Island.. 🙂 Keep up the awesome work!
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Mark Blundell
28 Mar 2012great image – I used to live in a seaside town – great in the summer, somewhat sad in the winter, you’ve captured this in your set well.