June 26, 2005: Mermaid Parade 1
Some advice to photographers considering shooting next year's Mermaid Parade:
1. Get there early, and shoot in the staging areas- by the time the parade starts, it's going to be too crowded on the Boardwalk and on Surf Avenue to get anything great.
2. Bring a huge flash- at 2pm, you'll need it as a fill- otherwise you'll get weird shadows (see above)
3. Get close- the costumes are best seen from a few feet away- I did all of these with a 50mm (~85 on a 35mm camera).
Comments
Definitely agree with #3. I love the close ups you've gotten. They've got such great color and detail.
Yes, nice photos here.
I wish I would have known #2 ahead of time. The shadows on some of my shots were maddening (although easily fixed in post-processing). The guy in the Uncle Sam costume was a tough shot because of this - his face, shaded under that big hat, needed 2 more stops than the rest of him.
#1 sounds like a much better idea than paying to get into the press area, which I found to be a poor spot for getting pics. (I wound up sneaking across the barriers into the parade route, where I had clear shots and nobody bothering me.) Another possible strategy is to arrive as an early marcher, disregard your marching position, and use your access to take pictures up and down the parade route.
Lots of burlesque dancers played in the parade, as ever. The golden mermaid up top is Bunny Love, and below her is Hellvis. At the bottom of the column in the white wig is Little Brooklyn.
Beautiful shots as ever, Jake. Thanks.
the bottom pic is my friend allison... weird.
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