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B&H Photography Podcast

Beach Photography - A Coney Island of the Mind*

B&H Photography Podcast

Jill Waterman

Podcast, Photography, Arts, Visual Arts, Bh, Photo

4.62K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2016

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Coney Island and photography have been together almost since birth. There is a great tradition of photography associated with this beach, located at the last stop of the D, F, N, and Q trains, in Brooklyn. Our guest, photographer Mark Hartman, created an intense summer project of walking the beach at Coney Island photographing the interesting people who crossed his path. His project was disciplined and relatively short, but thanks to a little app called Instagram, his austere, detailed, and colorful portraiture has quickly found many fans. Hartman was kind enough to join us to talk about his series and the gear, techniques, and attitude that has made it such a success. We are also joined by writer and photographer Todd Vorenkamp, who adds insight to our discussion with Hartman, and also offers some very practical tips on how to keep your gear clean, dry, and sand-free while shooting on the beach. Why a show on beach photography as summer draws to a close? Well, as anyone who has photographed on the beach (and who hasn’t?) will tell you, it’s not just a summertime thang—the people, architecture, nature, wildlife, water, and sunsets are there year-round and whether it’s a jam-packed Sunday at Coney or a contemplative, deserted windswept winterscape, the beach is always a great place for photography. Guests: Mark Hartman, Todd Vorenkamp Photographs – Mark Hartman * “...and balancing on eyebeams/ above a sea of faces/ paces his way/ to the other side of day” -from "Constantly Risking Absurdity" in A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You're listening to the B&H Photography Podcast.

0:04.0

For over 40 years, B&H has been the professional source for photography, video, audio, and

0:08.8

more.

0:09.8

For your favorite gear, news, and reviews, visit us at bnh.com or download the B&H app to

0:15.4

your iPhone or Android device.

0:17.6

Now here's your host, Alan Whitees.

0:20.0

Welcome to the B&H Photography Podcast before we start up.

0:23.2

Just a reminder, take a moment and rate us on iTunes.

0:26.7

We'll feedback those a long way around here.

0:29.4

Today's topic is Beach Portraiture, specifically at Coney Island.

0:33.8

Beach Photography is by no means a new idea.

0:36.6

Coney Island has been documented by numerous well-known and lesser well-known photographers

0:41.2

for well over a century.

0:43.0

Harold Feinstein was quoted as saying, when I first picked up a Camerate H15, I headed straight

0:48.0

for Coney Island.

0:49.8

Feinstein, Harvey Stein, Ouija, Robert Frank, and Bruce Glidden, not to mention lesser-known

0:54.8

Coney shooters, including Bruce Handy, Eric Kowalski, Jim McDonald, and Kenny Lombardi

1:00.7

have documented Coney Island over the years.

1:03.3

Some of these shooters actually live and work in Coney Island and photograph the place

1:07.0

on a new daily basis.

1:09.1

And each of these photographers have left their own personal stamp on the subject.

1:13.6

To help us connect the dots, John Harrison and I will be talking today with Mark Hartman,

...

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