Artist Statement:
Inspired by a show of Lisette Model and Diane Arbus, I took to the subways to capture those odd moments of poetry within the urban environment, working with my old Mamiya twin-lens medium format camera. I happened upon Coney Island during these explorations.
There was something powerful about the place - as I walked along the beach there was a certain confidence or rather an indifference about “what will people think” about their behavior and attire. I remember going to beaches as a child in India and seeing women always covered head to toe - every woman on the beach regardless of religion or age. I don’t even think I saw anyone wear a swimsuit outside of kiddie swimming practice until I left India.
What I found was people comfortable with themselves - not necessarily happy or satisfied, but in the end they didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. They were there to create their own space and experience the beach for themselves. I remember seeing a freckled man in a yellow speedo on my first trip and knew I needed to shoot him. I walked over, set up my shot, and he got up and turned around to look at me. Without looking up, I waved at him and he turned back on his stomach without hesitation. On the other hand, a man further away who was lying down got up conscious of his position. I went ahead and took one shot capturing both the couldn’t care less attitude of the yellow speedo guy who I call the Freckle guy and the other man still looking at me and my camera. Similarly, on my third trip, I was finishing up the shoot when I saw this man laying on his side in a perfect pose browsing his phone. His pose was so feminine yet he exuded a confidence that showed that he belonged there. He looked at me too, saw me aim my camera at him, and went back to his phone. Whether it was permission or don’t care attitude but it made making this image even more fun - I refer to him as the Poser. It was on my final trip to Coney that I came across the Lounger - it was one of the last warm days and in anticipation of the winter, on a crowded day, in the middle of the beach was this man lounging by himself like the Poser but with an entirely different feel - “a manly man” who depicted an aura of owning that part of the beach - you see him comfortable in his skin and space. These pictures capture the essence of my beach pictures in Coney.
