Carnival Memories

Antique Light Pre-Set in Lightroom

Urbana Carnival - Original Image

I must be in a sepia-kinda mood. Several of the digital images I’ve made this summer look best, I think, in monochrome with just a touch of coloration.

One example is this spinning amusement ride I photographed in July at the Urbana Fireman’s Carnival. Initially, the cotton-candy colors of the original image grabbed me -- then I began to experiment with several monochrome pre-sets in Adobe Lightroom. My favorite was called “Antique Light”. This one captures the nostalgic, somewhat unsettling feeling I get at the carnival these days. The event is now in its 34th year, and -- hard for me to believe -- my wife and I have wandered through its tacky charms for nearly three-quarters of those years. But what was once a simple summer diversion in a rural field behind the firehouse is now a good carney’s toss from one of the densest suburban populations in Maryland. As a result, the carnival attracts an interesting jumble of patrons -- some in Skoal-embossed jeans and Red Wings while others parade in their new Hollister hoodies. Somehow the carnival survives; I just wonder for how much longer.

Technical details: Canon 30D, Canon EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens, Bogen 3205 tripod with Kirk Enterprises BH-1 ballhead, wired remote shutter cord, Exposure of 1 second at f/22.

I’m curious – which version do you like better?