Carnival!

Summer is the season for carnivals. Popcorn, cotton candy, ferris wheels, the screamer, and lots of flashing lights. What does all this add up to? Great photo opportunities! This carnival is going on just down the street from my house, and so far I have shot it during dusk, and dark. A tripod was necessary for the long exposure night shots. I played around with the shutter speed to get different patterns from the ferris wheel.

I also found that an empty carnival at dusk had a very warm, Americana feel to it. You could almost feel the potential energy, and see the lights and hear the screams of joy that would come the following night.

Year of the Cicada

The rising of the 17 year Cicada in Chicago is a unique experience. I was but a child during the last "invasion", so I was looking forward to seeing the cicadas this year. Of course, I took photographs. My friends Brian and Dan helped model the red-eyed critters.