Fun at the Fair

“You loved ferris wheels more than roller coasters because life shouldn’t be lived at full speed,  but in anticipation and appreciation.”

-Amy Harmon

Each fall I enjoy visiting the fairs to photograph.  There is so much to photograph at the fair.  Colors, shapes, textures, and motion overload the senses at every turn.

This year I ended up visiting both the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, North Carolina and the South Carolina State Fair in Columbia, South Carolina.

I always want to plan my visit to the fair so that I arrive shortly before the sun sets.  By arriving before the sun sets, I am able to get a feel for what I would like to photograph when the light is at its best.  Usually, the best time to photograph at the fair is just before sunset when the light is soft and warm or in the half hour to hour after sunset when you can take advantage of the blue twilight light.

I had never been to the North Carolina Fair before.  We went on a Saturday.  There seemed to be wall to wall people on the evening of our visit.

We found a line eagerly waiting for the next showtime.

It seemed the best place to take in the sights of the fair and have space at the same time was from above.

The day we arrived at the South Carolina Fair, the sky was putting on quite a show.  We encountered so much traffic on the way there, I just had a short period of time to decide where I could take in the spectacular light that was happening just before sunset.

Since we were visiting on a school night, the crowds were much lighter than on the weekend at the NC State Fair.

I tried to get as many compositions as I could while the beautiful light lasted.

The next time the fair comes near you, I hope you will take advantage of the beautiful light and opportunities to photograph while at the fair.