Photography Hobby – A Evening Photo Walk at the Boone County Fair (where I was approached by four men!)

Saturday, July 20, 2024 late afternoon

Last night the weather was perfect for a photo walk at the Boone County Fair in Columbia, Missouri. I had not been to any county fair for DECADES, but I wanted to learn a few things about using a particular zoom lens and try some recommended camera settings. The two did not go well together for this advanced beginner, but I learned a lot and I had a great time.

But first: YES! Four men approached me, and I must share.

Gentleman number one: I could see from my peripheral vision that a man was approaching me from my left. He seemed hesitant, but brave enough to say, “Would you like a Bible?” I looked at him, reached out with my left hand, took a small version of The New Testament, and said, “Yes. God bless,” and I kept moving.

Gentleman number two: I was standing around and a man said something to me about my camera…guessing its make and model number…a Sony something. I said, “No, this is a Fuji. I came to practice with a certain lens.” He replied, “Oh, Fuji…I used to have one of those. They have those dials on them.” “Those dials are what made me choose Fuji. It looks retro and I prefer dials to poking at a screen to adjust settings.” He nodded, and then started talking about how he keeps things simple when it comes to a camera, plus he has his phone. “Phones are great cameras,” I said. “Have fun tonight,” I said, and I moved on.

Gentleman number three: I was standing a bit away from all the people, and I could see a man approach me, again from my left. He said, “Look at the balloon.” I looked at him, he was looking up, so I looked up to see a large, yellow hot air balloon sliding overhead. He introduced himself as Ed, the owner of the carnival. The family owns it, but he’s in charge. Then he asked what magazine or newspaper I was from, as he pointed to my camera. “Oh, this is just a hobby. I like taking photos of people and animals interacting with their environments.” He said he was always looking to buy photos of the carnival for marketing purposes. He showed me some done by a high school photography class. They were wonderful. His mother, the matriarch, loved those photos. They were product style photos, very useful for marketing purposes, and very professionally done. “Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll be downloading these photos tomorrow, and if I see any that I think you and your mother might like, I’ll just give them to you.” “That would be great,” he said, “and we would give you photo credit, of course.” I nodded, asked for his email in case I have any to give him, and then he offered me a free soda. “Thanks, but I’m okay. It was nice visiting with you,” and we went our separate ways.

Gentleman number four: This time I was approached from my right by a slim elderly fellow, probably in my age range. Once again, I was asked about my camera, and we chatted a bit about it. “I used to have a camera, but I lost it in the fire,” he said. I learned that he lived in the country, lost everything in a fire, and bought a small home in town. Then he took out his phone. “But I have this!” “Me, too,” I said. “My phone is my backup camera. Today’s phones make wonderful photos.” He started scrolling through some photos and showed me a picture of a lovely, blonde young woman. “This is my daughter. I’ve only known her a little while.” “Really?” I asked. He told me that when he was in Vietnam, he had a girlfriend and visited when he was on leave. Turns out she became pregnant, but he was never told. They were writing, and then her letters stopped. A couple of years ago he got a call on Father’s Day wishing him happy Father’s Day, and the lady introduced herself as his daughter. She had been adopted, but was able to find her birth certificate which stated her real mother and father. Trying to contact her birth mother was futile. Fortunately, both he and his daughter were delighted to discover each other. What a story! I asked if he had any other children, and he said no. Then he showed me a photo of his daughter’s little girl. “You have a granddaughter!” I said, and he was all smiles. I felt so happy for him, and grateful that he shared his story. Like a few other elderly folks, it looked as if he came to the fair to get out of the house and enjoy a beautiful summer evening. I thanked him for his time and said I was so happy for him. We parted ways, and I headed over to the vendor who sold snow cones. I chose cherry flavor. It cost $6 !! It was huge and I was not able to finish.

So about this photo walk at the county fair…

I learned a lot. I did not have a convenient lens for that locale. I brought a zoom lens, but needed a smaller zoom lens. Instead of shooting raw, which I have been doing for quite a while, I read an article that said I should use Aperture Priority mode at a county fair and let the camera take care of other functions. The results were not what I had hoped for, and I understand why. Some settings were way off, so the photos are very grainy. I had fun, though, and learned a lot. When I came across some grainy photos that I liked, I edited them into black and white so that they would look like newspaper photographs from ages ago. Yeah…well…whatever.

Anyway….here are some photos I tinkered with in post processing on the computer. None are great at all, but some are fun.

County Fair Colors: