It’s hard not to look good at the fair, unless you just got off the Scrambler… or have powdered sugar all over your face… but even then. Dreamland Amusements will be providing the ultimate photo backdrop at the Charlotte Spring Fair on March 13-29.
This is the perfect time to practice your photography or modeling skills, whether you’re just beginning or have been in the game for years. Here are some ideas and tricks on how to get the best, Instagram-worthy photos at the Charlotte Fair!
Lighting
You can capture rich photos whether day or night at the Charlotte Spring Fair…but we can all appreciate a quality sunset photo. Therefore, the best time to set up for a photoshoot is one hour before sunset. This allows you to plan your location, angles, camera settings, and model poses beforehand. You can also make use of the entire cross-over period, when it is not fully dark yet the vibrant colors in the sky match the lively fairground.
Get Creative
Take advantage of candid moments of people smiling and laughing while engaging in the fair activities. This makes for a natural photo, because all that the model has to do is live in the moment.
Experiment with different angles, perspectives, and focuses. Try getting up close and personal to a goat or llama at the petting zoo, or see how much fair action you can capture just from a wide shot. Movement and lights are the two big features to utilize at the fair, whether it’s the crowd roaming around or the rides moving at the bizarre speeds.
And of course, the Ferris Wheel backdrop is the classic go-to to practice on. There is no right or wrong, as long as you the photographer thinks it is a cool shot!
Technical Tricks
The fair is an optimal place to make use of the portrait mode setting on your iPhone. The camera focuses on the subject causing it to stand out from the background, while still capturing its glowing colors and movement. After taking a photo in portrait mode, tap “Edit” and you can adjust the depth control, portrait lighting, and level of background blur all to your satisfaction.
A setting to play with when capturing movement is shutter speed. DSLR cameras have it in the settings, but there are multiple apps that allow you to adjust it on a phone camera (Slow Shutter Fast Cam). This app allows you to adjust the shutter speed, zoom-in speed, and light sensitivity. There is even a setting for capturing light trails!
It is best to keep a lower ISO (100-400) when it is dark because that allows the colorful lighting from the fair do the work for you, and your photos will come out less grainy. A slower shutter speed (1/60 – 1) is what will create the light smear affects. You can practice these settings on the fast rides like the Cyclone or bumper cars.
CLT Shooters Meet-Up At the Charlotte Spring Fair
CLT Shooters is hosting a meet-up at the Charlotte Fair on Sunday, March 22. Local photographers and creatives will gather to connect, collaborate and create with each other, utilizing the bright, flashing lights and high-energy movements of the fair.
Those attending the meet-up can get 20% off their tickets using the promo code CLTPHOTO here: https://thecharlottefairspring2020.eventbrite.com.