The County Fair
Aug, 2011Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the county fair that my town has every year during the summer. There are two ferris wheels there, but one of them is quite small. This one is a main part of the fair. This was the only time I had actually taken my camera to the fair, and I took it for this specific shot. I think I had seen one like it on this website and had been inspired. I found a spot on a lawn right near the entrance, where a lot of people walk by, which was really helpful for creating a stream of blurred people at the bottom.Time
I think it might have been around 9:30 or so, sometime around then. That's about when they turn the lights of the wheel on. It was probably the most crowded time of day to be there, after the sun had gone down but not too late at night.Lighting
The ferris wheel has these multicolored lights that change as the ride spins. By using a very slow shutter speed, the lights blurred into the pattern in the image. I really liked how everything repeats because of how blurred the movement got. There were also a couple street lights here and there, lighting up some of the background, but the ferris wheel makes the image incredible to me. I tried several times for the shot, and they all had a blurred effect that created a pattern like this one, but none of them turned out quite as good.Equipment
I used a Canon Rebel XT with an 18-55 mm EF-S lens mounted on an Induro tripod. I think that I used a self timer so the camera wouldn't move.Inspiration
I think that I had seen one like it on this website and thought it looked really cool, so later when the fair came around I remembered it and tried to take one similar to it. I think the other one was probably better, nut I really enjoyed experimenting with it. I have also seen several other takes on this type of shot.Editing
This was before my post-processing days (I was probably 13 at the time, before I had anything like it.) I have never really felt the need to edit it because I like it how it is.In my camera bag
Since I took this shot, my equipment has evolved quite a bit. I just recently got a Canon 1D-Mark III, but I still have my Rebel. I have a couple filters, though the only one I really use in my polarizing filter, and a remote for long exposures. I have a 70-300 mm, and 18-55 mm (it only works on my Rebel, I'm planning on getting a new wide angle soon), and a 100-400 mm L lens, my prized possession. I still have my Induro tripod, but I'm not sure what model it is. I also carry a couple CF cards and a spare battery, plus some cleaning cloths.Feedback
Just keep experimenting with it. Even if it doesn't work, you can gain experience and learn new techniques. I've done this with quite a few of my photos. If you're shooting digital, just keep taking pictures with different settings and see the effects they create. You can almost never take too many pictures. Keep trying and see how each one comes out, even if it isn' t the effect you want it may still look good. For shots like these, set the ISO to its lowest and use the smallest aperture you can (I think mine was f/22) and then set your shutter speed to the correct exposure. Just keep trying and experimenting using different techniques and you're bound to end up with something you'll like.
