The Mermaid Parade

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Terri Gold Receives Honorable Mention in 11th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards

I am so happy to have been given an Honorable Mention in the Culture & Daily Life category of The Photography Gala Awards 11th edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.

570 women photographers from 63 countries participated in the 11th edition, collectively submitting 5,732 images.  It is a huge honor to be featured alongside the beautiful work of so many great women photographers.

My images selected are from Kenya, India, Ethiopia, and the Mermaid Parade of Coney Island.

Congratulations to all the winners!

 

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The Mermaid Parade

“I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” – Anais Nin

A sea of Mermaids, Mermen and Sea Creatures  filled  Coney Island Saturday for the 34th annual Mermaid Parade.

The Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and myths of Coney Island.  In hand-made costumes, everyone promenades, sashays and struts riotously down Surf  Avenue. It’s an all inclusive affair with participants from infants to octogenarians.  It’s part-fantasy, part-escapism, but all real –  celebrating  the imagination and  combining all the eccentricities and joys of artistic self-expression !

The Parade is the largest art parade in the nation and I love it and never miss it if I am in NYC.mermaidparade_2016C-515 mermaidparade_2016C-547 mermaidparade_2016C-563mermaidparade_2016C-478 mermaidparade_2016C-482 mermaidparade_2016C-502 mermaidparade_2016C-531 mermaidparade_2016C-536

 

 

 

 

 

Mermaid Parade Collection Wins Award at the International Photography Awards 2015
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Mermaid Parade Collection Wins Award at the International Photography Awards 2015

This year, The International Photography Awards received 17836 of submissions from over 153 countries, and is pleased to declare that Terri Gold was awarded Honorable Mention in Event – Traditions and Cultures for the winning entry The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.

HPA2015_Seal

The mermaid is an archetypal image that represents a woman who is at ease in the great waters of life, the waters of emotion and sexuality. Traditions and celebrations add rhythm and texture to our lives and provide a genuine feeling of community. I have been photographing the Mermaid Parade for 20 years and it never disappoints. The Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the beginning of summer and the myths of Coney Island.

Gold_Terri_MermaidParade1 Gold_Terri_MermaidParade2 MermaidParade_2015-439Gold_Terri_MermaidParade4.jpg Gold_Terri_MermaidParade5 The International Photography Awards conducts an annual competition for photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today. A board of esteemed professionals in the field juries the competition: curators, photo editors, gallery owners, art directors, and other luminaries from the international photography community.

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The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island

The Mermaid Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and myths of Coney Island.  In hand-made costumes as Mermaids, Neptunes and various sea creatures,  everyone promenades, sashays and struts  riotously  down Surf  Avenue . It’s part-fantasy, part-escapism, but all real. The festival is  a celebration of the imagination, combining all the oddities and all the joys of artistic self-expression.

I have shot this festival on and off for 20 years and it is always fabulous !

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The Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Saturday was the fabulous Coney Island Mermaid Parade. This year the parade also had a message.  As one sign put it: “Fuck You BP, Save the Mermaids.”  “Performance artist  (Tigger) Ferguson told the Daily News, “Today is a celebration of sea life trying to survive in the gulf. The Mermaid Parade is a celebration of marine life, mythical and real.”

Still, the parade was as colorful and festive as ever. Lou Reed and wife Laurie Anderson served as the parade’s King and Queen, and everyone including the large group of  inventive photographers had a great time. Along with the amazing mermaids and mermen and their creative costumes , the array of photographic gear is always inspirational. Every unique flash contraption, medium and large format film cameras and  polaroid cameras and more are  on display.

Coney Island is filled with new rides and the Circus and music on the boardwalk every night. I am definitely going back for a sunset visit to photograph more of the scene.



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The Mermaid Parade

As the summer solstice approaches, along with the gift of longer days and more light, comes The Mermaid Parade. The wonderful Coney Island Mermaid Parade occurs the first Saturday after the summer solstice. Hundreds of mermaids, Neptune’s, mer-men and thousands of spectators and photographers descend upon Coney Island to celebrate the beginning of summer and the official opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Part Mardi Gras, part art festival; the Parade is a New York tradition. I have been photographing the Parade for 15 years whenever I am free-this year I am shooting a wedding that day so I am posting images from previous years and I encourage anyone who wants to begin the summer with spirit to join the festivities.    For more information : http://www.coneyisland.com/mermaid.shtml mermaid_08-69mermaids08-127mermaid csmermaid_08-13-Edit2 mermaids-1