Seconded By: Frank Meo
New York’s Coney Island has held a very special place in the hearts of millions since the mid-1800s when ferries and trains paved the way to its sandy beaches and eventual amusement parks. The combination of technological development, urbanization, new ideas about leisure, and the influx of immigrants into America fueled its development into an entertainment capital, mixing people with different racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds and transcending social boundaries. This unleashed democratic spirit has, over the years, offered a seductively liberating environment and a muse for artists.
When I came to New York City in the summer of 1997, one of the first things I did was take the subway to Coney Island to take a series of documentary and street photographs. It was as I had imagined it from the images and movies I had seen: run down and frozen in the full 20th-century spectrum of time, old and weathered yet vibrant with authenticity and story—a photographer’s paradise.
The plastic Diana film camera became my primary camera in the spring of 2008, when the historic entertainment destination, having fallen into decades of decay, was about to undergo extensive commercialization and gentrification. With the looming change, I thought the camera’s plastic lens and mechanisms, coupled with the early morning fog, could best capture its zeitgeist. I have been photographing with it during Coney Island’s varied seasons of weather and events for several decades now. I see the Diana camera standing the test of time amongst intense technological change in photography- a relic from a past era in photographic history. As such, it parallels Coney Island, which has likewise withstood the many changes that have threatened its existence.
Though Coney Island lost several attractions to new development, it has retained many iconic rides and venues, its beaches, and the love of its patrons, both local and from afar. Like its iconic Wonder Wheel, Coney Island’s evolution is cyclical, erupting every two to three decades as city politicians, developers, community leaders, nature itself, and other forces battle to shape its future. One thing is definite: No matter what, Coney Island will survive.
Coney Island Man
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2008. View from inside Coney Island Subway Station. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Astroland
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2008. Opened in 1962, the Astroland Amusement Park offered a patriotic optimism about the future through the space race. Soon after this photo was made, the amusement park was bulldozed by its new owners to make way for the new Luna Park Amusement Park. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Cyclone Signage
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2008. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Cyclone with Car
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2008. Opened in 1927, the Vernon Keenen designed wooden roller coaster reaches a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour (97km/hr). It became a New York City landmark in 1988 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Wonder Wheel
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2008. 150 ft (46m) tall, the Wonder Wheel was built in 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris wheel Company and was declared a New York City landmark in 1989. It continues to be in operation. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
The Jump
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2016. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Beachgoers
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2016. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Mermaid Parade Crowd
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2016. The Mermaid Parade has been held annually over 40 years in June to pay homage to the Coney Island Mardi Gras parades of the early 20th century. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Nathan
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2016. Nathan’s began as a nickel hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916 by Nathan Handwerker and his wife Ida and has become world famous. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
Wonder Wheel at Night
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. 2016. Made with the Diana plastic camera on medium format film. Scanned, minimally processed and digitally printed.
