Beginning in 1974, I photographed on the streets of my South Brooklyn neighborhood every Halloween. At 3:00 PM I would leave my apartment – with my Nikon F and a few rolls of 35mm Tri-X – to be ready for the first after school trick-or-treaters on my block. In 1979 I exhibited some these photographs at a small Lower East Side gallery.
Scribners published a book of these photographs the following year.
I photographed on the street in my usual way in1980.
But this year would include something new – earlier in the week my Aunt Angie called to tell me that her local Catholic church St. John the Evangelist was hosting a Halloween Party for parish children, and that I would be welcome there. I had recently bought my first studio strobe outfit – a used Balcar power pack, with two lights and stands. I thought that this party would be a great opportunity to start using this equipment. The party was in the school auditorium. I found a wooden flat on the auditorium’s stage and stood it straight up as a background. With crossed fingers I plugged in the power pack and arranged the lights. Then I took out my 120mm Yashicamat 124G Twin Lens Reflex camera, and asked the costumed kids to come forward to be photographed.
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