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# NYT Photos: Andy Levin’s Coney Island
- URL: https://bklyner.com/nyt-photos-ed-levins-coney-island-sheepshead-bay/
- Published: 2010-08-24T16:58:23.000Z
- Updated: 2010-08-24T16:58:23.000Z
- Author: Ned Berke
- Tags: andy levin, #API-Imported

![](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/coneyisland_Levin.jpg "coneyisland_Levin")

By Andy Levin // Source: nytimes.com

I wish I was a more talented photographer. The hundreds of photographs I sort through each month – from readers, contributors, aspiring and established artists – well, it’s just a constant reminder of how much I stink at the craft. But thank goodness for one thing: I’ve got this wonderful site to tell other people about all the great people out there.

Reader Athena D. sent over a link to [New York Times’ latest Lens post](http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/andy-levins-coney-island/?ref=bklyner.com) – a profile and collection of Andy Levin’s Coney Island photographs. Levin began exploring and shooting Coney Island in his 20s. But unlike countless others, he avoided the all-too-tempting landscape of the amusement district and opted for the unsung heroes of Coney Island – the families that visit it and make all else possible.

“I tried to stay away from the freak show thing,” Levin told the Times. “Not that I didn’t appreciate what was going on with it. It just wasn’t my intent. I wanted to convey the commonality of the family experience. That’s sort of how I grew up. I think I was naturally more responsive to those elements.”

Levin’s black-and-white photos take place primarily on the sandy shores, with kids and adults swept up in familial bliss (as opposed to the instant gratification of the carny-ville). The resulting sensation of these photos is more akin to what we might remember as residents of the area, spending a regular visit on our summer weekends – and not the touristy weirdness of a mid-trip lark to the People’s Playground.

[**See the New York Times slideshow of Ed Levin’s Coney Island photos.**](http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/andy-levins-coney-island/?ref=bklyner.com)