This photograph is part of Wilkes’ collection called “Day to Night,” and the pieces are impressive: huge composite photographs of iconic New York landscapes capturing the ebb and flow of the human masses — and the ever-changing light. In an interview with the Village Voice, he describes his process:

It dawned on me, I’m studying New York as an emergent life form, and the way you can see the city flow, it’s a form of emergent behavior. You realize that the pedestrians are communicating, the cabs, all these elements are coming together and creating a complex life form. In a way that’s how the city works. And, in a strange way, photographically, it’s almost an emergent form, the concept of a single photo is being changed in this way.

I can’t wait to go check the gallery out and see his large format pieces up close and personal — the exhibition at CLAMPART runs through October 29th.

Coney Island Mermaid Parade portraits by Jane Kratochvil:

“Coney Island Mermaid Parade 2011,” by Anthony Catalano:

Untitled portraits, by Sajid Fakir and Anthony Catalano:

Untitled, by Anthony Catalano:

Untitled portraits, by triebensee:

Check out some of my favorites below and stay tuned for more as the week continues. If you’re hungry for more, be sure to check out these fantastic sets by Adam Lerner, Jane Kratochvil, Oscar Rivera, and Leanne Staples!

“Coney Island Mermaid Parade” portraits by Jane Kratochvil:

Untitled, by Sajid Fakir:

“Dumb Bell” and “Vixen Mermaid,” by Leanne Staples:

“Mermaid Parade 2011,” by Jimmy O’Kelly:

Untitled Portraits, by David Figueroa:

“Mermaid Parade – It Takes All Kinds,” by Vitaliy Piltser:

Untitled portraits, by Adam Lerner:

Untitled, by Adam Lerner:

Last year, For the Love of Brooklyn hosted a meet-up for the event, but the crowds were huge and it was a bit tough to do much photo-walking, let alone photo-standing. So, this year if anyone’s interested, I’ll be heading down a couple of hours early around 11:30-12pm to spend some quality time in the $5-per-camera staging area and walking around as the revelers arrive. If anyone would like to join, leave a comment here or over on Facebook!

In the meantime, check out some of my favorite shots from last year! Aren’t these photographs amazing?

Untitled, by Barry Yanowitz:

Untitled, by Javier11238 and “Electric Blue,” by SpecialKRB:

Untitled, by Jane MacNeil:

Untitled, by Lucy Aboytes and “We Think This is Not a Costume” by SpecialKRB:

“The Life Aquatic,” by Lucy Aboytes:

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

“Mermaid Parade 2010,” by Jessica Amaya:

“A Coney Island Mermaid,” by GioVision:

Gorgeous photo below by the very talented Georg Sedlmeir, shot this past winter in Coney Island. Lots more wonderful work ahead this week – and some exciting news! Stay tuned and have a great day!

It’s a funny thing, how photographs can make you feel, and these shots elicited so much nostalgia for me, even though they were only taken mere months ago. But isn’t that why I shoot — to capture the promises of each season, to make sense of the passing time, to reflect on my purpose here?

… even through the spokes of the iconic Wonder Wheel.

Near the end of the tour, we encountered an artist working on the beautiful murals which decorate the Coney Island USA building. She was decked out in an old paint-splattered Mermaid Parade t-shirt and dock shoes, busy putting the finishing touches on a vignette on the east side of the building. I learned that this was none other than Prof. Marie Roberts, the Coney Island artist in residence who has been largely responsible for last 10+ years of iconic Coney Island imagery.

Of course, I asked her for a portrait. She graciously obliged and smiled.

Born and raised in Coney Island, Marie’s family has had strong ties to the community for several generations and her art reflects this deep bond with the landscape. She says that her “father’s family was involved in Coney Island at the turn of the 20th century; my grandfather was acting battalion chief of the Coney Island District until his death in 1924. My Uncles Harry and Guy were at Dreamland the night of the fire. I have an uncle buried in the Gravesend Cemetery. My father claimed he never got out of the 6th grade because he was too busy watching the horses cross the finish line at the Gravesend track. My Uncle Lester was the talker for the Dreamland Circus Sideshow in the 1920’s.”

I also hear she has loads of legendary stories about growing up in a sideshow family, many of which surface as inspiration in her beautiful sideshow banner work. Be sure to check it out on the web here or in person at Surf Avenue and 12th Street!

And if you’re in the ‘hood, definitely go check out some more of Joel’s photos at Almondine, the French bakery in DUMBO, where they’ll be on exhibition for the rest of the summer!

Ed recently gave us the heads up and graciously offered to share his photos and some thoughts. Read about the event below, or head on over to his blog for more!

Ed writes:

This was not a reactionary protest against BP or the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Hands Across the Sand was conceived before that and the first protest was held across Florida on February 13th, 2010. The protest was a simple one. At noon, the gathered people on over 700 beaches in the USA, over 900 total around the world, formed a single line facing the sea and joined hands for 15 minutes.

To me it was the simple act of the joining of hands between all sorts of people, nevermind their age, race, ethnicity, that was the most powerful and symbolic. Is a line of people in the sand going to actually do anything about this? Arguably not. Many don’t have the time or money to go down to Florida and help with the clean-up, and there are agencies much better at doing so even as it proves difficult. However, those who gathered still want their feelings to be known. The fact that this was a huge event across the country, and even world, shows that people really care about this. The coming together of people saying to industry and government that now is the time to take action, please take notice!

My own feeling though is something like helplessness. The Deepwater Horizon incident is just one example of some of the profligate practices and malpractices pursued by companies in the rush for the money as they compete for our dwindling resources. I don’t know what the solution is, this kind of engineering and science is not my field, but in the case of the Florida Gulf there needs to be one, and quick. A hugely pressing issue though is that we really need to accelerate our investigations into better, safer, and less destructive methods for a lot of our industries, not just oil. I am sure there is opportunity for entrepreneurship out there if people look past what we already know!

Make sure to check out the latest in the Flickr pool, or check back in with us here for more later this week!

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Javier11238 and “Electric Blue,” by SpecialKRB:

“Strolling Down the Avenue,” by Harris Graber:

Untitled, by Joanna Pan:

Untitled, by Alec McClure:

“The Mermaid Parade,” by pixelateit: