Dreamland
By the Sea
An introduction to the place, its atmosphere, and the mindset needed to photograph it.
This video sets the tone before any image is made.
Aproaching • 7 min
Those Who Looked First
Learning with those who mastered it before us.
1967 – 1972
1967 – 1972
2014
1967 – 1972
Pre Production
First things first
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Weather
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Overcast days: Ideal. They flatten the light and enhance the melancholic undertone visible in signage, skin tones, and aging structures.
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Wind is an asset: it activates clothing, birds, trash, hair, flags.
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After the rain: the boardwalk reflects neon and sky beautifully.
Location
Streets
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Wonder Wheel Plaza - Graphic structure, symmetry, and scale.
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Boardwalk (between Stillwell Ave and West 12th St) - Transitional human moments.
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Inside the subway (Q / D / F / N lines) - Coney Island as destination, seen before arrival.
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Surf Avenue - Commercial decay, characters, signage.
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Amusement arcades - Artificial light, saturated colors, solitude inside noise.
Subway
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Take the D, F, N or Q to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue. The arrival itself is part of the assignment.
Best time to shoot
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Morning (8–10am): Empty rides, workers setting up, families arriving.
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Late afternoon: Long shadows on the boardwalk, warm highlights.
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Blue hour: Neon vs sky — restraint is key, avoid visual overload.
Suggested Equipment
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35mm — Primary storytelling lens.
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16mm or 24mm — Environmental scale and signage.
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85mm or Higher — Characters on the rides
Production
Shoot first, edit maybe
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What to look for
Specially those that promise more than they deliver
Fear, joy, confusion. Imperfect expressions beat perfect smiles.
In the blue hour the magic color of neons and the sky
Specially those that promise more than they deliver
SHOOTING LIST
1. Signs
2. Faces in motion
3. Adults managing leisure
4. Approach and arrival
5. Dreaming
6. Use the park as point of view
7. The vintage look
8. Trading hapiness
9. Details
10. Waiting moments
11. Life by the sea
12. Life at the boardwalk
13. Neons
Lets get to the image . 8 min
We’ll break down a selection of photographs from this assignment — how they were made, the decisions behind each frame, and why certain choices mattered more than others.
Post Production
That really matters
Editing
Editing as direction • 6 min
This video explores how different editing choices can shift meaning, narrative, and authorship.
Color Grading
From Capture to Final • 12 min
A practical walkthrough of turning raw files into finished images.
COLOR PRESETS
Publishing
Show time. If the work stays on a hard drive, it’s not finished.
Photobook
A photobook forces decisions. What comes first, what follows, what breathes, what repeats, what disappears. Images stop competing for attention and start working together. Meaning is built in the gaps, in the pacing, in the order.
PHOTOBOOK TEMPLATE
After Hours
Enjoy the ride
Bars and Restaurants
If you don't go for the Hot Dogs go for the neons
The owner is not Paul but that doesn't matter anyway
If you don't go for the Hot Dogs go for the neons