Skull Couple

Archival 16x20 inch black-and-white fine art print on Epson Art Cotton Smooth 250 gram paper. NYC Village Halloween Parade street photography, Greenwich Village, 1982–86.

Captured during the NYC Village Halloween Parade between 1982 and 1986, this black-and-white 35mm frame features a pair of revelers in elegant, do-it-yourself skeleton attire. The figure on the left is adorned with a skull mask crowned by a lush bouquet of roses, while delicate skeleton earrings dangle prominently from their ears, matching the skeletal motif on their sweater. Their companion, dressed in a sharp suit and tie, wears a coordinating mask and a classic hat, holding a small book that continues the macabre theme. A powerful professional strobe light pierces the night, casting a crisp glow on the subjects and revealing a man at the far right edge of the frame, his face partially cut by the composition as he stares directly at the lens. This high-contrast shot freezes a moment of artistic, street-level creativity that defined the Greenwich Village festivities of the mid-eighties.