Beach Photography - A Coney Island of the Mind*

B&H Photography Podcast

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