The Indiana State Fair is one of my favorite places to take photos. I go each year and there’s always so much to see and do and experience! My wife and I take our 5 kids to the fair each year, so I’m there as a parent and a participant as much as a documentary photographer.
For this post I want to delve into some of the thought process that created these images.
I was standing in line waiting for a slice of pizza for one of my kids when I made the photo above. It felt magical to me because as I framed up the scene, there was an empty visual square in one portion of the photo. All of a sudden the young person there stepped into that spot and turned to look backwards. And on top of that, the sun lit up their eyes!
For images below, I was walking behind one of those stick-your-face-in-the-cutout signs when I saw the people waiting on the trolly. I liked it as a minimalist image. Then when I headed around the front of the sign, it becomes a very maximalist image that I liked even more!
People always ask me how I approach people about taking a photo. For the image above, they were sorting out the checkers and I just started talking to them and asked if they cared if I took a photo of the board. They said sure thing go ahead, so I went right ahead.
Walking among the vintage tractors with my 5 year-old, I spotted these guys in the typical Dude Observer pose. When he reached out to point at the tiny tractor in the jar, I knew that was the moment to push the shutter release.
For some photos, I recognize a great moment and walk up to take a photo (below left). For others, I’ll see a scene that has potential and wait in one spot to see how it comes together. In the image below right, I liked the guys washing the cows in the back, so I stood in one spot to see who passed between me and them.
In the image above, I liked the softer, more abstract shapes of the cows and their spots set against the geometric & hard lines of all the industrial components of the top half of the image.
I always like to say, “Color photography isn’t about taking photos IN color, it’s about taking photos OF color.” In the photo above, I noticed the repeating primary colors. Not just on the signs of the corn dog booth, but also in the shirts of the people in the scene.
5 Elements of a Great Photo
Here’s an Instagram Reel I created about 5 elements I take into account when creating a great standalone, storytelling photo.
Related Posts
For more about the documentary series I’ve done on Indiana fairs & festivals, check out this post.