fair play

the fair - this one will probably go down in history as the most comfortable fair week ever shot - our weather has been mild, beautiful, thereby eliminating much of the "walk around til you feel like a drowned rat and are getting slightly delusional from dehydration" that normally marks the experience...for our annual fair-wrap-up foto page running the Sunday of fair week end, we chose the theme of shooting dyptichs - i had some ideas in mind at the start, but man, this was really harder than i thought it would be - i couldn't tell if i'd not thought enough, was completely overthinking/looking or what - i just really kind of struggled with this one - i decided i'd just go out and keep shooting, and maybe things that fit together would all come together in the end, and we could play off each other's pix as well - one half of a dyptich could be from me and one from Jenny or Bryan, if they got something that fit well - it came down to the wire, literally, but in the end, it all came together - some falling just the way of 2 different fotogs having the perfect matches for one another's images - that part was kind of fun - like putting together a puzzle....so, here's some fair pix - finally got my bootie out to shoot the rodeo - didn't shoot much at all of the actual riding, because i was more interested in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the event, but the light was nice, i kind of liked some of the frames i made, and i met this lady beforehand that totally blew my mind - she had just started her 6th round of chemo that very day and was taking her granddaughter to the fair that night with the chemo literally pumping into her at that very moment - "you're a pretty tough lady!" i said, after asking her, completely stunned - "you mean you're getting chemo, right now, walking around the fair????!!!" people's spirits and strength are amazing!

my first fair assignment - shoot the veterans parade around the fairgrounds before the start of a special veterans program in honor of veteran's day at the fair...was just getting kind of the usual stuff, trying not to run into anyone as i walked backwards through the fairgrounds, and although the reflection thing is a little cliche, i liked how the colors shapes came together as the group made its way through the line of food vendors

after the parade, i swung by the petting zoo for a feature to run sometime about it - these were just some of the animals i liked - the people feeding them were pretty usual stuff....this monkey looked so pensive...i wonder what is going on in his mind...below an alpaca - serious underbite!!! i love goats and alpacas and llamas! and their wool is the warmest in the world!

i stopped at the Star Family Circus show, they're so amazing, though most of the family members were different this year - one still the same was Oscar, who does this crazy walkig the spinning wheel thing, sometimes jumping rope, sometimes blindfolded, always without a net - loved the reaction of the riveted crowd

 

tuesday night was the derby - i swear, one of these days, i'm gonna do this - i know i's all pretty redneck, but there's just something about a demolition derby that appeals to me - it is kind of tough to shoot - everytime i struggle with how to make a cool picture of the action - either due to the blinding dust or just to the fact that they tend to clump up as they ram into one another, and it's hard to show the impact, etc - someday i'll get it right, but here are a few anyway

checkin out the competition before entering the arena

a demolition derby oreo

and then, the fans - funny story, i was scoping out the stands looking for a crowd shot, and this guy came up to tell me that i couldn't stand in the walkway, i had to keep moving....okay....so i moved, then i spotted a spirited family, was framing up to shoot them, and here he is again, mr. tall, looming authoritative guy - i don't want to tell you again, you can't stop here." "but i'm just making a picture for the paper, i..." "you can't stand here, you have to keep moving, if i have to tell you again, you're going to jail" well, that pretty much shut down my common sense neurons from firing - seriously, you're going to arrest me?!? i'm still laughing as i think about that exchange - made a picture anyway, though maybe not as cool a one as i could have made...andi'm sure that guy went home that night feeling REALLY cool and all-powerful! more power to him!

wednesday night, went looking for dyptich features before the rodeo - more of the reflection theme, though this one would have worked better if the corn dogs read better i think

i'm a swing watcher, i'm a swing watcher - - sing it with me now!

 like many of the boxers, MMA fighters, etc, i've met, rodeo ridin cowboys have this big ol' "doing it for christ" thing that i find a little fascinating - i guess if i was getting in an arena with someone bare-fisted out to kick my ass or a bull or bronco who REALLY didn't want me on their back, i might find jesus too!

this is my favorite frame i think....after i got this guy's name earlier (shooting him praying), he came up and asked me if i had 20 bux on me - "i don't give out my name to be used for less than 20 bux," he said.....""too late now, you already told me," i said  (we were both joking, by the way - well, i was, i hope he was - if not, ummm, oh well!)