Queen of Hearts

This is the one year anniversary for the Queen of hearts drawings  in Garrettsville Ohio. For three consecutive weekends in September 2016, I waded into the mass of people gathered at Sky Plaza, up until that point the largest crowd I had ever worked. These sessions were intense and at first overwhelming. I shot nearly continuously for a couple of hours each time I visited. I was particularly drawn to the large group of bikers assembled at the east end of the parking lot. The sheer number of bikes with all of the bright colors and polished chrome was absolutely dazzling. I met many interesting people and captured dozens of candid portraits and general scene photos. The low sun angle of September resulted in a very high contrast look to the photos which greatly enhanced the intensity. On account of the early sunset this time of year, the photos span the gamut of lighting conditions from bright sun to night. I carried the bare minimum of equipment so as not to be bogged down, just a DSLR and a speed lite. In this post I present images that capture the general ambiance of the event.