Eagle Force

16x20 inch Black & White print on Epson Art Cotton Smooth 250 gram paper. From the NYC Village Halloween Parade, 1982–86.

In this energetic black-and-white scene from the mid-1980s Village Halloween Parade, a pair of revelers embodies the "Eagle Force" in shimmering, matching metallic flight suits that catch the sharp pop of a portable commercial flash. One figure, wearing a beret and aviator sunglasses, grips a prop submachine gun with a focused intensity that perfectly mirrors the high-energy spirit of the NYC night. Just behind them, the frame reveals the eclectic nature of the crowd, including a participant in a crisp, formal Marine uniform and officer's cap, adding a touch of rigid discipline to the surrounding chaos. To the right, a long-haired man in a leather vest and a hard hat topped with a flashing siren light grins broadly as he navigates the Greenwich Village streets. Captured on a 35mm Pentax using Kodak Tri-X film, the image is rich with the authentic, grainy texture of mid-eighties street photography, pulling these diverse characters out of the deep, inky shadows of an October evening.