Coney Island: In Color

Coney Island: In Color is a photographic and sensory time capsule of Coney Island from 2022 to 2025. Comprising color darkroom prints, typewritten prose, and visual notes, the work captures the texture, rhythm, and resilience of the place.

For generations, Coney Island has held a defining place in the American cultural landscape as a site of wonder, leisure, and escape — a seaside haven for immigrants, working-class families and New Yorkers. Known as “the people’s playground” and the birthplace of the American amusement park, its boardwalk is a stage for coming-of-age rituals, summer pilgrimages, and the everyday spectacle of public life. Coney Island: In Color (2022–2025) is my photographic and sensory time capsule of Coney, created through hand-made color darkroom prints and typewritten prose. Working across 35mm, 6×7, and the rare 6×17 format, I’ve built a visual language shaped by analog practice — deliberate and tactile. Over three years, I made weekly visits to Coney, building a record of its landscape and atmosphere.

In 2024, a casino redevelopment proposal threatened Coney Island. Though ultimately rejected in 2025 thanks to community activism and fierce local opposition, the proposal underscored how fragile this historic landscape remains. My project becomes a documentation of not only what was nearly lost, but more importantly, of what the community chose to protect. While Coney has been photographed for generations, few long-term projects have explored it in color — a surprising reality given its vibrancy and iconic visual language. With this work, I aim to expand that canon by bringing a queer and trans contemporary perspective to a history long dominated by male photographers. Through image and prose, the work invites viewers to experience not only what Coney Island looks like, but how it feels. The project is an act of devotion—to Coney Island and the people who fill it with life; to color, memory, and light.

I’m currently in the process of getting this project published as a book—a tactile, hand-made object that recreates the feeling of being there and honors Coney Island. Updates on the book to come. For now, this page has an exerpt of some of my favorites photographs from the project.

Wonder Wheel Alley, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Firework Through The Tunnel, 2024

12x18in Chromogenic print

Friday Fireworks Under the Wonder Wheel, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Rocket Riders, 4th of July, 2025

Wonder Wheel Park, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Coney Island At Dusk, 2023

12x14in Chromogenic print

The Windstarz Ride, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Darkroom Notebook Spread, 2024

Empty Prize Booths, 2024

12x36in Chromogenic print from a 6x17 negative.

The Coaster, 2022

10x12n Chromogenic print

Childhood Wonder, 4th of July, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Long Day, 4th of July, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Astroland Rocket, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Hanging On The ATM, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

The Kids And Snake, 2025

6x17 color positive slide

DAD, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Winning Shot, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

4th of July, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Darkroom Notebook Spread, 2024

The Snake Charmer’s Ice Cream Break, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

4th of July, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

The Irish Girls and Snake, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

4th of July, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

End of August, 2024

6x17 color positive slide

The Yellow Snake, 2025

6x17 color positive slide

The Cotton Candy Stand, 2023

6x7cm Color positive slide

The Parachute Jump, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

The Ride Alley, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

The Shore, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

The Recycler, 2023

6x7cm Color positive slide

Summer Beach Day, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Fog Rolling In, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Dancing On The Boardwalk, 2024

12x14n Chromogenic print

Bow and Arrow, 2025

Slushy Seller, 2025

Astroland Rocket Visitor, 2025

12x18in Chromogenic print

Arcade UFOs, 2023

12x14in Chromogenic print

Erica and The Puppet Stand, 2023

10x12in Chromogenic print

The Puppet Stand, 2023

10x12in Chromogenic print

The Walkways, 2024

6x17 color positive slide

Beginning of July, 2025

Paletta Seller, 2024

6x17 color positive slide

Sunset On The Pier, 2024

6x17 color positive slide

110 Snapshot Photographs, 2024

110 Exposure Test, 2024

The Go-Karts, 2025

The Archer, 2024

12x36in Chromogenic print from a 6x17 negative

Disco ATM, 2025

Running On The Beach, 2025

Beach Day, 2025

Paletta Cart, 2025

The Wheel, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Closed for Winter, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

The Henna Tattoo Stand, 2023

12x14in Chromogenic print

Corn Seller, 2022

10x12in Chromogenic print

Fish Game, 2023

10x12in Chromogenic print

Win A Goldfish, 2023

10x12in Chromogenic print

Ticket Booths, 2022

10x12in Chromogenic print

The Ice Crem Seller, 2024

12x14in Chromogenic print

Empty Alley, 2024

12x18in Chromogenic print

Red, White and Blue, 2025

24x36mm Color positive slide

Red Kite, 2025

24x36mm Color positive slide

Cotton Candy Seller, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Slingshot Ride, 2024

24x36mm Color positive slide

Mother and Daughter, 2024

24x36mm Color positive slide

Snakes on The Boardwalk, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

The Girl and The Snake,2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Nathan’s, 2024

24x36cm Color positive slide

Winter’s First Light, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Summer’s Last Light, 2023

6x7cm Color positive slide

Coney’s Snowy Beach at Twilight

6x7cm Color positive slide

Summer’s Sunset, 2023

6x7cm Color positive slide

Toward The Horizon, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Summer On The Beach, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Front and Back, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Il Dorado, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Sweet Shoppe, 2024

6x7cm Color positive slide

Balloon Stand, 2022

10x12in Chromogenic print

Fading Light, 2023

10x12in Chromogenic print

© Nat Segebre 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Index

© Nat Segebre 2025

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Index