Carnival Lights - 44th Annual Cracker-Barrel Fair

Winding down the summer with a carnival and fireworks!

Carnivals are a lot of fun to photograph. The brightly colored lights are great to capture as they move. Rides feature all kinds of variety in color and movement and make for cool images. Photographing them requires a balance of shutter speed with the timing of the ride.

This event is in Wrentham, southwest of Boston. This carnival runs from Friday, September 18th through Sunday evening, September 20th. It has a Ferris wheel, several other spinning rides with colorful & changing lights, cotton candy, fried dough, and Port-a-potties! At the end of the night, there will be a fireworks display.

We will meet at sunset. As we enter blue hour, the colored lights will have a beautiful blue backdrop.

This carnival is being held in a park in Wrentham. For more details about the carnival, check out this link:

There is plenty of parking around the area, but if the carnival is popular, you might have to walk a bit. $3 parking donation to support the Wrentham Lions Club charities.

You can have fun with a variety of lenses - a wide-angle will capture all of the Ferris wheel, but a telephoto can grab interesting details. Or challenge yourself with a nifty 50 or another fixed focal length lens. ND filters will help control the shutter speed for creative effects (3, 6, and 10-stop) and will help extend the shutter speed during the transition from golden hour to twilight to darkness. Add some ICM (intentional camera movement) while the shutter is open.

Remember your tripod and shutter release. Here are some tips for photographing these fun events. How to Photograph Carnival Lights - Silvana Della Camera Photography

Dress in layers and keep an eye on the forecast. This is a weather-dependent event. If it rains, the carnival does not operate, and this Meetup will be canceled or rescheduled if possible.