Retro//Reflection - Issue #13
The fair is in town! So plenty of opportunity for creative photography.
Once or twice per month I send out a letter with a handful of (my) photographs and share a bit of insight on the ‘why?’ or ‘how?’. As an enthusiastic photographer, anything goes.
Maybe you learn something?
Or perhaps it will spark some inspiration?
Fair season is in full swing again. Almost every week(end) a city, a village, big or small has a few days of fair. Travelling fairs are very common here in the Netherlands (and Belgium, and Germany too for that matter), so there’s plenty of opportunity for some creative photography (if you like that sort of thing, of course).
I have always been fascinated with fairs. Growing up the combination of (high-speed) rides, flashy lights and music was amazing. Here in the (south of the) Netherlands it is very common that rides, food stalls and games like the lucky-cranes are simply lined up on blocked (main) streets and on plazas or town squares, so I also always found it interesting how they would set up the fair each year. Different (sized) rides, big and small, require careful planning. A Ferris wheel on a prominent spot, offering a great view over the fair and the surroundings. And that these rides are located smack in the middle between buildings, just looked awesome (not sure if people living in these buildings felt the same, but hey …)
I always enjoyed going on the rides, but now I’m getting older my stomach doesn’t agree with me anymore (I’ll stick to rollercoasters in amusement parks - they’re still fine), so I go on the more gentle rides like the caterpillar ride or said Ferris wheel :)
This year I haven’t yet had the opportunity to makes some photos, apart from a few snaps with my phone, but over the years I have collected a whole bunch of images - mainly from the fairs of Geleen (Netherlands) (Geleander Kirmes), Sittard (Netherlands) (Oktoberfeest) and Aachen (Germany) (Ōcher Bend).
Anyway, last week the fair was in the city of Geleen (see photo above), so I figured it would be nice to revisit some of my photos from the previous years and show them in this edition of Retroreflection.
In my early days of photography I feel my focus was more on the rides itself, but these last couple of years I try to be a bit more creative: using mirror reflections, find something funny (see the first photo), different framing or simply walking around a closed fair early in the morning at sunrise.
For those sensitive to light and noise it can be overwhelming, but the fair offers a nice opportunity to spend a few hours in town, especially at night.
That’s it for this post. So, do you like (to visit) fairs?
Do you like to photograph them as well?
Any particular ride you think is the ‘best ride in town’?
Each issue I want to end with mentioning a photographer, a photography-related website or publication, simply to show my appreciation for what they do.
This time photographer and educator Craig Roberts. He has a Youtube channel where he publishes interesting videos about all kinds of topics. He has a good sense of humor and realism which make the videos easy to digest. Apart from that, I simply like the subjects he photographs and his way of thinking about photography.
That’s it for this issue. Thank you for reading until the end. Feel free to leave a short comment or message. Appreciate it!
Until next time, cheers,
Ronald
ronaldsmeets.info
ps: this article/newsletter/post is free, because I’m not doing this to make a profit. Also, I don’t like subscriptions at all (Tom Pendergast has a great article about not going paid, which I agree with). However, if you do want to show your support, a coffee always helps me writing and posting here ;-)
Loved these fun photos and the creative way you revealed the different elements of a fair.
I love fairs it’s nice to be in crowds sometimes. I don’t dig rides though. Just like to photograph them. I really liked “Just” Ronald.