The Kentucky State Fair came to a close this past Sunday, but not before I managed to sneak in one last visit Saturday evening. If you like crowds, lots of loud music and people screaming, as well as a proper smorgasbord of "What an incredible smell you've discovered!" then the State Fair on a Saturday night is the place for you.
That probably sounds worse than it is, but it can definitely be overwhelming. Still, there's just some shots you can't get without being there after the sun goes down, and having a good crowd doesn't hurt. Traffic and parking are always a nightmare on the fair's busier nights, still managed to get there a couple hours before sunset to wander around and get a feel for the lay of the light and how I wanted to shoot the night. Got to add this shot to my 'Street Portraits' collection of photos, an ongoing series of shots from when strangers stop me in the street asking to be photographed.
Clouds rolled in just in time to muck up the golden hour light, but it made for a lovely sunset. After that it was just the midway lights that'd lured me here in the first place.
Nothing like wandering for a bit to remind you of how much more night shooting you should be doing. Preferably somewhere with less screaming.
Our Lady of Electric Light was with me and let her blessings shine down throughout the night.
Had set out with every intention of experimenting with all the light and movement, then got caught up in everything and almost forgot to. Wrote out a shot list beforehand, but it was decidedly light in the details department, just "experiment with the lights," which left me spinning my wheels for a bit.
Eventually got the swing of things, set the camera with the 24-70mm lens up for 0.8s exposures and hoped for the best with handheld shots.
As a kid we would always go to the local county fair, but being at the state fair is something else entirely. Pretty sure the crowd out Saturday evening was considerably larger than the entire population of the county I grew up in.
Can recall my parents having concerns about the safety of the rides and food, and judging by the conversations I've had with folks here that's one thing that hasn't changed in the least with time. Didn't stop anybody then, and it still isn't.
The fair is an annual ritual that always seems to follow the start of school by a couple weeks, for reasons that've never been made clear.
Y'all got similar rituals in your neck of the woods?
