Panoramas in Luna Park, Coney Island
A thematic story about an amusement park, 9 medium format 6x7 shots on CineStill 400D, 3 panoramas, 1 connected story, and some photography culture from Roland Barthes.
I believe panoramas are a format we need to use intelligently today, because we can’t control how a photo will be displayed (like in an exhibition). Since most people view photos vertically on their phones, I designed the following panoramas I want to present in a way that they tell a story or relate to each other, while also maximizing the potential space available in your screen.
With that in mind, I structured a series of 9 medium format photos I took during a photo walk in Coney Island. Medium format works well for panoramas because I can crop aggressively without losing resolution. Luna Park is an amusement park in Coney Island (a neighborhood in NYC) that has a somewhat suspenseful atmosphere. It’s a joyful place, and I love taking my son there, but you can easily tell a suspenseful story just using the visual elements of Luna Park.
A quick word about Studium and Punctum…
In photography, Studium refers to the general, cultural, or intellectual interest a viewer has in an image, or what draws them in through context, composition, or subject matter. Punctum, on the other hand, is the detail that pierces or wounds the viewer personally, something unintended that triggers an emotional reaction or memory, making the photo unforgettable, imagine the Punctum like being the photography’s umami, or the fifth taste.
Roland Barthes first introduced these terms in a book Camera Lucida to distinguish between understanding and feeling in photographic interpretation. If you want to get better at photography, I strongly suggest reading this book and understand some core concepts about photography.
Now back to Coney Island…
The first theme: Coney Island’s King
The first theme works like a puzzle. In the bottom photo, there are two hands, making you assume the top photo is just a cropped version of the bottom one. But in the top image, his hand appears again, breaking that illusion.
What looks like a camera trick is actually two separate photos, with contextual information (the studium) in the middle. The punctum is in the top and bottom images, while the studium is in the middle. Again, the punctum is what emotionally moves you in art, the studium is the informational context, like where it was taken, when, how was the light, etc.
The guy in the picture is King Bing Bong, a famous Coney Island’s figure. I even posted about him before, here in Substack.
The donations from the button above will be 100% directed to him. I'll go there personally and film it to show ya! <3
Second theme: Tillie is watching you
The second theme features the park’s mascot looking down from above. This figure holds the studium, anchoring the scene at Luna Park. In the middle and lower frames, two human figures take on the role of punctum—they give the photo its lingering effect. One is a boy riding a bike, the other a woman walking with an umbrella. The woman is experienced in life, as she shields her face from the figure. The boy is innocent, simply there to have fun.
The bizarre character is named Tillie, a wide-grinning face that has become an iconic, unsettling symbol of Coney Island and Luna Park-style amusement. Though originally from Asbury Park, a similar face is also used at Luna Park, often referred to as The Funny Face or Luna Park Face. With exaggerated features and a mischievous smile, it evokes both nostalgia and surrealism.
Third theme: Dare with the devil?
The third theme is more documentary in nature, there’s more studium than punctum. The top image reads: “THUNDERBOLT - Shocked by the Drop? Please try to remember your name, parking spot, and belongings!”. This is a reference to the park’s free-fall ride, known for its adventure surrounded by loud screams. The middle frame shows part of a ride up close, and the bottom reads “MORE RIDES, FUN GAMES, EXCITEMENT,” with a tone that feels almost demonic.
Both top and down pictures communicate friendship with a Faustian bargain, like “get disoriented, but don’t forget your keys”.
All that was photographed in a short photo walk right before the park opened, with a Mamiya 7ii (6x7), and a Mamiya 65mm lens, during Mother’s Day, in 2025.
