Carnivals and fairs offer such a wide variety of unique subjects, it really is one of the best opportunities to get different shots without having to travel too far from your home. From animals to people to the colorful rides themselves, take your tripod, wander the grounds and see what you can find.

 

Although not far from Washington, DC, we live in the fairly rural area of Calvert County. Like a lot of carnivals and fairs, there is always an animal exhibit featuring cows, sheep, pigs, and other assorted barn animals for show. Make sure to visit the animals either early in the morning or early evening, not during the hottest part of the day. There's better light too as the morning and evening sun, being low in the sky, will usually allow some nice light into the sides of the buildings (although this depends on your fair's facilities of course). It's a great opportunity to get up close because most of the animals are easily accessible from the walkways. You're also likely to find younger animals which is always a treat. Just watch yourself that an adventurous creature doesn't mistake your camera strap for a treat!

 

Most fairs also have photo exhibits and competitions with entries submitted from local residents. Be sure to check out the results of the photo competition, you just might find a friend or two that won first place. My friend and fellow Calvert Photography Club member Bonnie Bryant achieved 5 first premium awards for her work. You can check out her award winning shots here (flamingo), here (lighthouse sunrise), and here (gorilla portrait).

 

 

 

Another thing you want to try for are the people shots. There is quite a variety of people you'll find at these events, lots of interesting and colorful folks. With so many people, it's also a great opportunity to capture the hustle of the movement with a slightly long exposure. Believe it or not, the shot at the left was a 2½ exposure (f/14, ISO 200, 10mm). The ride operator happened to be checking his phone just after measuring a child's height (and politely dismissing him because the kid was unfortunately too small to ride). When people stop to check their phone, they end up being remarkably still...the perfect time to trigger the shutter. I ended up really liking this shot because of the mixture of movement, from the total blur of the Ferris wheel to the crowd movement to the still parts of the structure and the operator. Not sure what it is, but this shot just oozes the fair and carnival feel more than any of the others.

 

The lights in these environments are excellent backdrops for portraits and subjects with shallow depth of field. The bokeh can be spectacular, as in these two shots below taken with a 50mm prime...my favorite lens for bokeh and shallow DoF shots. The background blur in these shots is not the same as blur applied in post processing. If you're looking for photos with backgrounds like this you really need to get it right in the field as this effect is virtually impossible to recreate accurately on your computer.

We stayed until the end, letting the kids ride the rides until we heard the official "we're closing" announcement over the loud speakers. I ended the evening waiting for the kids to finish their rides while the waxing gibbous moon came up over the trees. If you find yourself waiting for the kids to finish their rides (or maybe the adults are riding too!), don't just stand around, keep your camera out and look around for opportunities. When you're stationary waiting, it's a great excuse to use your senses, do some people watching, or even shoot for the moon.