The New York State Fair is a place of motion. I used several ways to photograph it.
Panning is a fun way to give the feeling of speed. This young barrel racer was at full gallop during the qualifying rounds for the New York State Championships.
Barrel racer at the New York State Fair. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/30s, f/25, ISO 200, EV 0, 125mm focal length.
You do not always need to use a tripod to show motion with slow shutters speeds. If the object you are photographing is going fast enough hand-holdable shutter speeds will work. This was the case in the Model Circus and Train room in the Art and Home Center. These trains still look fast at a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second.
Model trains of the CNY chapter of the of the National Railway Historical Society at the New York State Fair. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 6400, EV 0, 16mm focal length.
A cool way of creating abstract photos is to zoom in or out during a long exposure with a zoom lens. Here, I zoomed from 300mm to 28mm during a half second exposure of a Midway ride.
Zoomed abstract of a Midway ride at the New York State Fair. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/2s, f/9, EV 0, tripod.
The SKY Flyer is a new ride for the Midway this year. Using a tripod and a long exposure makes the ride look like it is going a lot faster than the twelve revolutions a minute it was moving at.
A long exposure photograph of the SKY Flyer ride on the New York State Fair Midway. Nikon D700/28-300VR, 5s, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, tripod.
Putting something stationary near a moving object is another way to show motion. The Giant Ferris Wheel on the Midway had new LED lighting this year which created neat affects when using long exposures.
People wait for a ride on the Giant Ferris Wheel on the New York State Fair Midway. Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 2.5s, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 16mm focal length, tripod.
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nice motion! You done good, Scott. 🙂
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Thanks, Kathy!
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Love the Sky Flyer ride – very cool.
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It was a popular subject for photographers this year. Very colorful and very high.
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I love your creative ways of showing motion – and I’d like to try them out myself soon. Maybe I’ll actually make it to the Big E this year!
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You should. Lots of things and people to photograph at a Fair.
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I absolutely love that first photo!
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🙂 You’re an ol’cowboy at heart, aren’t you?
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These are all beautiful Scott! Love the colors and capture of motion. 🙂 Couldn’t pull off the fair this year, but these make me wish I had.
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Thanks, KD! See…you should plan on it for next year.
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The first photo of the horse rider is amazing, Scott. I like the color explosion in the third panning photo and the beautiful abstract created by the Sky Flyer too.
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Thanks, Truels! It’s always fun to see what you end up with when reviewing the photo after trying these kind of shots. A lot time I have no idea what I’ll get.
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Great stuff, Scott. LOVE the last three! Ooooooh, the colors….. 😉
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I do love my color and the Midway is full of bright lights of every color.
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Scott, the Barrel racer panning shot looks amazing. I didn’t get to go to the fair this year and love your Fair photos.
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Thanks, Nye! I live just 20 minutes away from the Fair so it’s easy for me to attend each year.
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Great as always! Nice running into you and Merrie at the fair.
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