Right Stuff

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

A striking black-and-white 35mm frame from the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986 captures a humorous collision of worlds on the New York City streets. A reveler in glamorous drag, wearing a shimmering silver jumpsuit emblazoned with the words "The Right Stuff" and a matching flight cap, strikes a patriotic pose while waving a small American flag. The powerful burst from a Norman 200B flash catches the glint of the metallic DIY costume, contrasting sharply with a spectator walking past who appears completely out of place. This older man, dressed in a sensible windbreaker and a farmer-style seed cap, seems to have wandered into the festive chaos by accident, his bewildered expression providing a grounded counterpoint to the high-camp energy of the march. This black-and-white candid shot preserves the spontaneous, inclusive, and often surreal spirit of the mid-eighties parade.