At The Fair

There’s something about the fair— a midway with carnies hawking “the world’s smallest woman”, livestock shows complete with 4-Hers and blue ribbons, pig races, and virtually anything you can imagine deep-fried on a stick. What more could you want? Do the calories in a wedge of chocolate dipped, frozen cheesecake on a stick count if you eat them at the fair?

I hadn’t been to the Georgia National Fair in years. So when the opportunity arose last week, I just had to go, and I had to take the Nikon. Strangely enough, this was to be the setting for my first ever attempt at fireworks. I don’t know how I've been taking photographs this long and never tried them before, but thanks to a shutter release and a tripod, I managed a few frames of the fireworks, the lake, and the midway in the background. The wind didn't cooperate, blowing the fireworks back over my head and the smoke right into the lights of the fair. So the setup that I had at first selected, with my 24-70mm f2.8, had to be modified. The slow and considerably less sharp 18-200mm f3.5 was the widest lens I had, and my only recourse. The fireworks shot posted here was a 13 second exposure at f5.6 at 18mm. The trip was fun and the results weren't too bad. I couldn't bring back enough funnel cakes and fried Snickers for everyone, but I hope you enjoy these shots.