Some shoots start with a plan and end with the sky doing something you could never have planned. This was one of those.

I've worked with Isaac before. Over the summer we did a Pride-themed shoot, and after that he brought me new album art for a release he had coming up later in the summer. So when he came to me with a Halloween idea, I was already on board. He wanted something with the feeling of an eerie, empty theme park at night, with him roaming the boardwalk and ready to go into action at any moment.

Coney Island in Brooklyn was the obvious place to find that feeling. Once the crowds leave, the boardwalk has a quiet, slightly uneasy energy that suits a Halloween session perfectly.

The plan had a few moving parts. We wanted the Wonder Wheel lit up behind him, so we picked a night when the lights would be on. We went back and forth between a weeknight, a Friday, and a Saturday, and we kept an eye on the Coney Island live webcams like it was our job. In the end, all that preparation didn't matter. The wind and weather that night closed that entire section of the park. The weather was going to do what the weather was going to do, so we adjusted and made the most of the park as it was.

Then the weather handed us something better. We shot the night before a significant nor'easter moved into the New York area. As the sun dropped below the clouds at sunset, the sky lit up in the most gorgeous pinks, oranges, and reds. We stopped for a few minutes to take it in before we got to work. It's a moment I won't forget, and it set the tone for everything that came after.

Isaac committed to the idea completely, from the bat over his shoulder to the long, quiet stares down the empty walkway. The photos from that night are a mix of tight portraits, moody profiles, and wider shots of him standing alone in front of the rides.

We also went into the edit with a specific look in mind. I wanted these to feel like they were shot on film in the 1990s: analog, a little grainy, and nostalgic, like a photo you'd find tucked in an old album and remember taking. Rather than chasing clean digital sharpness, we leaned into warm color, soft highlights, and texture, so the lights and the rides feel like they belong to another decade.

I'm based in the Hudson Valley, so a night in Brooklyn is a bit of a trip for me, but it was worth every mile. Thank you, Isaac, for trusting me with the idea and for handling the wind like a pro.

If you're planning a portrait session, especially one built around a specific place or mood, I'd love to hear about it. Get in touch to start planning, and always have a backup plan for the weather.

 

Young man in a distressed denim jacket and plaid shirt holds a bat on his shoulder in front of glowing carnival lights at night.
Young man with dyed curly hair rests a wooden baseball bat on his shoulder, wearing a denim jacket against glowing neon city lights.
Young man in a distressed gray denim jacket and red plaid shirt poses at night in front of glowing amusement park lights.
Young man with tousled dark hair wearing a denim jacket over a plaid shirt and white tank top poses against a neon-lit arcade background.
Young man with red-tinted hair in a studded denim jacket stands on a boardwalk at night, with glowing amusement park rides behind him.
Curly-haired young man in a worn denim jacket looks at the camera at night with a lit amusement park Ferris wheel behind him.
Young man in a denim jacket and plaid shirt gazes sideways at night near a boardwalk with NYPD barriers and a glowing carnival ride.
Smiling young man in a plaid flannel and white tee leans on a black lamppost with a bat on his shoulder near a lit carnival ride.
Young man in a denim jacket, plaid shirt and ripped jeans leans on a lamp post at night near a lit amusement park ride.
Person holding a baseball bat stands on a boardwalk at night facing a glowing Scream Zone amusement park sign with a giant smiling face.
Young man with curly dark hair wearing a distressed denim jacket over a plaid shirt holds a cigar against a blurred city lights background.
Man in a gray hoodie and jeans stands with his back to the camera, facing a brightly lit amusement park and roller coaster at night.
Person in ripped distressed jeans and tan work boots stands on a ledge holding a baseball bat near a glowing nighttime carnival.
Man in an olive jacket stands with his back to the camera, holding a stick across his shoulders, facing a lit amusement park at dusk.
Man seen from behind playing a wooden flute against a blurred night background of glowing golden and blue city bokeh lights.