The vague memories I have of seeing the West Indian-American Day Parade about six years ago are mostly of sun, feathers and dancing. Which was actually pretty accurate for when I shot it again on Labor Day for Time Out New York -- (check out the article here!)
There were a few things different from what I remembered, like how many politicians there were. I saw the governor, the mayor, one of the senators and a wagon filled with bizarre paintings of even more politicians like Hilary Clinton (it's in the gallery below).
The big downside to shooting events for news organizations is that I have to work with such a strict deadline so it's not uncommon for me to miss out on the best parts. I saw several colorful dresses and cool costumes, sure, but the really outrageous stuff must've come later in the day when I was already home editing photos to get them online. If I do go again next year, I'm tempted to also catch the pre-dawn J'ouvert festival that happens before the parade.
