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| Gay Pride. My first Pride Parade was in Seattle. It left an impression on me. I think I got it- for a breeder that it is. I don't think it's really about being gay, or a Queen. It's about freedom of choice. It's about being your self and putting your self on parade for one hot afternoon. At the Pride parade there is no fear. Except the fear of falling into a pothole while wearing platform heels. And even then- I have never a seen Queen fall.
NYC city of course has a banner Pride Parade. NYC is home to the Stonewall Inn on Christopher street. In 1969 it was a police raid on the bar that sparked modern Gay activism. Pride parades are done internationally in late June to honor the anniversary of sexuality coming out of the closet. These images were shot with a Hasselblad 501 and mostly the Sonnar 150mm and the Distagon 50mm. I chose Fuji NPS 160 film because I know my parade colors, and NPS has super saturated red and yellow characteristics with a 2 stop under 3 stop over latitude. If I have to shoot color, Ill usually reach for the NPS or NPH. The film also scans really well. Good ole L&I labs printed them for me. 5x5 with white border. I scanned the prints on an Epson Perfection 4990. The proofs are very nice. I chose the 150 because I knew I would be at a distance and I wanted to soften up the backgrounds of the city. Barbara and I took off on the scooter for a ride down to the Christopher street. This is the neighborhood where the parade disperses and the real fun starts. At that point I switched to the 50mm. I love that lens shooting people about 5 feet away wide open. I hope you enjoy the work as much as I enjoyed shooting it. David |
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