Carnival Noir!

Arrived at Summerfest in Garrettsville just before sunset on the first evening of the event. My intention was to photograph the transition into night skies amid the carnival atmosphere of brightly lit concession stands and rides. No sooner had I begin shooting when a storm rolled in and rain began. Awful timing for fair-goers, but an absolute gift for me photographically as the storm clouds added texture and color to the sky, and rain puddles created wonderful light reflections off of the pavement (which normally would have appeared as a sea of darkness). I shunned tripod and flash and just cranked up the ISO and went handheld. This created motion blur where people walked through my frames and makes the photos seem even more real and full of energy. For a while the rain reached an intensity that temporarily chased everyone away from the venue or under cover. This left a strange ‘Twilight Zone’ look where the place is all lit up but not a soul is visible in the shot. Here are some of the takeaway images.