Gator

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

Captured with a 35mm Pentax on Kodak Tri-X film, this black-and-white image captures the eclectic energy of the NYC Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986. A powerful Norman 200B flash illuminates a young parade participant in the center of the frame, proudly wearing a handcrafted alligator costume with a wide, toothy snout resting on their head. Surrounding the child, various celebrators contribute to the theatrical atmosphere, including a woman in a shimmering gown and a figure draped in long, layered necklaces and a textured wig. While the crowd surges forward under the glow of the professional strobe, the small child in the gator suit and the woman positioned to his right break the flow of the march, looking directly at the camera with a steady, candid gaze. The grainy texture of the film perfectly preserves this spontaneous slice of Greenwich Village history, highlighting the DIY creativity of the mid-eighties street celebration.