Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Pro 160S
There's a big industrial plant on one end of the beach (that can also be toured--I didn't go), and these picturesque flats on the other end. These mines are owned by the indigenous Wayuu and the salt processed in traditional ways. I'm not sure if this portion of salt is sold nationwide or only around La Guajira.

Later in the day, a motorcycle ride out of Manaure revealed just how much salt there is here...everywhere I looked there were floating little montañas de sel. It's not quite as weirdly beautiful as the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. But it fascinated me because unlike the Salar it was completely functional, all being processed, rather than mainly being a bizarre flat white desert for tourists to drive through.

Posted on September 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Pro 160S
Saturday is market day according to my guidebook, but the area looked similarly busy every day. She asked me some questions about where I came from etc, but in a really bored way. I'd heard the Wayuu were reserved and unfriendly but this was my first mini-conversation with someone who wasn't hostal/restaurant staff. (Later I found the unfriendliness wasn't always the case).

Posted on September 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Pro 160S
Bike taxi driver kicking back. Industrial salt mine (featuring "montañas de sel", apparently quite the tourist attraction) in the distance.

Posted on September 21, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus Trip 35 | Agfa APX 100
Bensonhurst-bred Tommy is 25 years old and is in his 8th summer at Shoot the Freak. Game owner Anthony knew the kid from the neighborhood and brought him in to help during STF's second year. He's the manager now, although is also a capable barker when needed, and tended bar at Beer Island this past spring while the boardwalk in front of STF underwent repairs. He works in construction after the game shuts down for the winter, and is happily engaged to a young lady who works at Beer Island.

Tommy's seen a significant drop in the Shoot the Freak crowds. In 2008 rumors flew that Coney Island was shutting down, influencing shooters to turn out in record numbers for its last moments. This year, he muses people forgot they were still around.

Posted on September 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Neopan 1600 @ 3200

Posted on September 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Tri-X
21-year-old JJ is from Bed-Stuy, currently working for his seventh summer at Shoot the Freak. He was the freak for three years, he's an occasional barker, he helped build Beer Island, but he seems most comfortable kicking back with customers, collecting money and setting up the guns. Thanks to his experience, he's in charge whenever Tommy's not around.

Of all the jobs available in New York to a teenager, why Shoot the Freak--nearly an hour's commute from home? JJ laughed when I asked, saying he could never work in a fast-food joint due to the way his teachers disparaged them. A friend helped him get a job at STF, which paid a great wage in comparison.

He'd like to go to college someday. Maybe. He needs more time to think about it.

Posted on September 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Tri-X @ 6400
He was not-so-secretly hoping for a cool smoking photo. When I brought prints for the boys, he tried to take this one of Eric for himself.

Posted on September 15, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Tri-X @ 6400
Someday soon, little one...you too shall shoot the freak.

Posted on September 13, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Neopan 1600 @ 3200
Shoot the Freak manager Tommy has some kind of Don Corleone look happening here.

Posted on September 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Olympus OM-2N | Fuji Neopan 1600 @ 3200
So this woman walks up and without any preamble demands a smoke from Shoot the Freak manager Tommy. With the wisdom of his 25 years, Tommy refused, sweetly saying he was morally opposed (while chain-smoking, of course). This pissed her off to no end...as if she were entitled to FREE cigs from strangers, anyway??

Nineteen-year-old "freak" Eric did not have such qualms, but rather than give up a fresh one, gave her the smoked half of his. Then he added, "you know, your baby's gonna be REAL small," spacing his hands apart to indicate some sort of 6-inch-long mini-child.

She classily informed him that her baby needed her to smoke or it would go into withdrawals, and that her other 5 children had been raised the same way. I don't think she was over 30.

Posted on September 12, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)