Jackson Hole’s Mid-Summer Break Filled with Bright Colors, Flashing Lights, and Non-Stop Action.
(Note: As I post this page, there are still two more nights at the Fair. If I have a chance to go again, I’ll be adding more photos to this page. Check back! And…remember YOU have two nights to get to the Teton County Fair!)

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/60 at f/6.3, Aperture priority Mode, 1 EV, ISO 640
Teton County Fair: I find this time of the year fun and exciting. A few miles north, animals and tourists scurry about doing what animals and tourists do. Down the Snake River Canyon, fishermen fish and whitewater enthusiasts paddle through the rapids in kayaks and rubber rafts. In town, and for only a single short week, we are given a chance to experience the thrills of the rides, the familiar barking of the carnival midway workers, and enough color and flashing lights to send our senses into overload. (Click this image to see it much larger!)

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/13 at f/22, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 2000
Starship 2000: In previous years, I spent a fair amount of my time capturing images with lots of blurs, similar to the shot above. Check last year’s post: Fair Time! Photos from the Teton County Fair.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 52 mm, 1/100 at f/9, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 2000
This year, I changed my approach some by taking a Nikon SB910 strobe with me. Not every shot includes the extra light, but having it gave me some additional options. The SB910 was triggered using an on-camera SU800 controller. The normal infra red signals don’t communicate well in bright sun and require “line of sight”, so I added a Radio Popper transmitter and receiver to change the IR signal to radio frequency. To trigger the camera, I used a Vello FreeWave Micro Wireless Remote Shutter Release. It works great on by my Nikon D4 and Nikon D800. They make additional controllers for other brands and models. The wide shot of the Fair near the top was washed with light from the strobe. Without the strobe, the shot would have been dull, flat, and generally silhouetted in the foreground. Some shots worked well without the strobe, too!

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/50 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 125
Zipper and Vertigo: The layout of the rides and midway changed considerably this year. From a photographer’s perspective, I think the change was for the better. In the past, the general configuration went from East to West. This year, it changed from North to South and was pushed against Flat Creek Drive. This layout eliminated a few annoying power lines behind some of the rides and attractions. Evening skies remained deep blue much longer. The Jackson Hole fair is unique in a few ways. There are no admission fees—so it is cheap to simply mill around each night. The rides and attractions are tightly configured into the allowed space. The people at Frazier Shows don’t have a problem with photographers taking photos, and the workers seem to enjoy having photos taken of their rides.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 44 mm, 1/200 at f/14, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Aliens: For the most part, I go to the Fair to simply have fun, experiment, and learn. Other than taking a few photos for a blog post like this one, I don’t have any particular use for the images, and as a result, don’t have any editorial restrictions. The aliens in this shot were actually vivid green. While in Lightroom, I experimented with quite a few of the sliders to come up with a unique color scheme that makes me smile. The fair gives me plenty of room for experimenting—both in the capture and the post processing.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 52 mm, 1/100 at f/9, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 2000
Dots: On this shot and on quite a few others, I turned the focus button on my lens to manual and then purposefully put the scene out of focus. After seeing some of the results from these experimental images, I can see how I might use the effect on other, more finished images.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 70 mm, 1/1 at f/14, Aperture priority Mode, 0 EV, ISO 100
Duckies: The concessionnaires at this attraction let me set up the tripod next to the spinning rubber ducks for a few shots. When the flash settings are turned to “rear-curtain sync”, the flash fires at the end of a long exposure. This allows for blurred movement, but then a tiny bit of sharpness at the end of the blur. Objects near the center of the spinning move much less.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/4 at f/16, Aperture priority Mode, -1/3 EV, ISO 1000, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Carousel Horses: This is a typical shot of the horses, augmented with a little fill flash via the remote strobe.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/1 at f/22, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 640
Horses in Motion: This shot was taken with Rear Curtain Sync as the horses flew by.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/1 at f/22, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 640, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Carousel: This is close to “my vision” for this shot. I was looking for long streaks with a split second of stopped details.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 150 mm, 1/6 at f/16, Aperture priority Mode, -3 1/3 EV, ISO 320
Ghostly Horse: I could go to the fair and shoot a thousand more shots of the carousel horses and never recreate this 1/6th second shot. In reality, most photos taken at the Fair fall into the same category. Lights, people, and conditions are constantly changing. Last year, Frazier Shows opted to leave the Carousel out of the fair. I believe they said it was merely a matter of space. This year, the large Ferris Wheel was being repaired, so the Carousel was back. Who knows if it will be in the show next year? I spent more time there than normal.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 150 mm, 1/15 at f/16, Aperture priority Mode, -3 1/3 EV, ISO 320
Lion’s Head: Without the fill flash, the blue frame and details on the figure would be almost non-existent. Carnival rides are “ridden hard and put away wet”— to use a cowboy phrase. Very few of them are pristine, as seen here. A few bulbs are usually missing or burned out. The bottom of the crested frame on this element of the Carousel is broken off. Character?

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 150 mm, 1/13 at f/10, Aperture priority Mode, -2 EV, ISO 320
Lion’s Head: Rear Curtain Sync: 1/13th second at F/10, ISO 320. I experimented with the Shutter Speed to get the length of blur I wanted.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/4000 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, 0 EV, ISO 800
Cliff Hanger: A couple of the rides pose problems for me. The Cliff hanger is one of them. The actual gliders lack lights. After it gets dark, they disappear. Also, when dark, there are numerous intense lights in the hub area that shine directly at onlookers (and photographers). My better shots of this ride have been taken while there was still some ambient light.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 82 mm, 1/400 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Cliff Hanger in Drizzle: “Neither rain, sleet or snow will stop the fair rides!” Well, that’s not exactly correct. They do stop the big rides during heavy rain and lightning storms. Drizzle didn’t stop this ride and provided some moody lighting. I would have preferred the “Freak Out” ride was not behind this ride, but that’s not an option I can control.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 70 mm, 1/400 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Rain Delay: There are moments of transition following a big rain as the rides begin to start running again.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 210 mm, 1/160 at f/9, Aperture priority Mode, -1/3 EV, ISO 100
Ring of Fire: I prefer the night and lights, but some rides translate well in broad daylight. On this day, I was drove to the fair early in anticipation of a possible rainbow. Once there, I stayed for the entire change from afternoon light to darkness.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 24 mm, 1/800 at f/8, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 100
Ring of Fire: Direct light on the silver sides of the ring pushed the exposure down and created some drama in the skies. The ride was ending as I set up the shot. A cloud moved in front of the sun by the time the next ride was loaded and the effect was negated.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 70 mm, 1/6 at f/22, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 2000
Midway: I tried this shot with the strobe lighting the fair goers, but that distracted from the the scene. It’s easy to shoot it both ways and pick the one I like.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 600 mm, 1/50 at f/9, Aperture priority Mode, -2 EV, ISO 320, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Zipper: Using a telephoto lens, I concentrated on small areas. The lights change constantly, so I took lots of images.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 160 mm, 1/60 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 80, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Zipper: Lights out of focus.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 50 mm, 1/60 at f/6.3, Aperture priority Mode, 1 EV, ISO 2000
Vertigo With Indigo Skies: This is probably my favorite ride to photograph.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, 14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 at 18 mm, 1.30 at f/22, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 320
Vertigo and Zipper: I tilted my camera to slant the horizon on this one. The long exposure created streaks, while the static Zipper ride remained in relative focus. The cages on the Zipper are lit by the ambient light, but disappear in the dark night shots while spinning.

Shooting Data: NIKON D4, Tamron 150.0-600.0 mm f/5.0-6.3 at 600 mm, 1/250 at f/9, Aperture priority Mode, -1 1/3 EV, ISO 100
Goldfish: If you can throw a ball into a cup, you can go home with one or two of these goldfish. An aquarium sits in each of the four corners. I was set up taking a few shots of the fish when a youngster put his hand on the corner of the aquarium, causing the fish to move to the other side. I suspect this happens hundred of times a day. A human element can be a big plus.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 140 mm, 1/200 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Brynn and Her New Fish: This fish has a proud new owner.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 140 mm, 1/100 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Another Winner: For a few dollars more, you can go home with a few fish and mini-aquarium.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 70 mm, 1/400 at f/2.8, Manual Mode, -3 EV, ISO 100
Brynn and Father: Hard to beat a good ol’ family shot. I was taking artsy photos of the horse’s head while the ride was stopped when the seat filled with a little rider.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 98 mm, 1/800 at f/3.5, Manual Mode, -3 EV, ISO 100
Carousel Horse Portrait: This shot was taken when there was still a considerable amount of ambient afternoon light. I dialed in some heavy negative exposure on the camera, then moved the remote strobe relatively close to the head.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 98 mm, 1/800 at f/3.5, Manual Mode, -3 EV, ISO 100
Black and White: Same shot after processing through NIK Silver Efex in Photoshop.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 105 mm, 1/60 at f/6.3, Aperture priority Mode, 1/3 EV, ISO 640, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Fresh Pizza: Kayla Perez and Dominic Fraley were working in the Pizza trailer. I asked Kayla if she would hold the next pizza up for me when it came out of the oven. No problem!

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 105 mm, 1/60 at f/6.3, Aperture priority Mode, 1/3 EV, ISO 640, ©2015 Mike R. Jackson, All Rights Reserved
Fresh Pizza: Sometimes, all the bright colors can be distracting. I like this one both ways.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8 at 50 mm, 1/60 at f/6.3, Aperture priority Mode, 1 EV, ISO 2000
Cliff Hanger Tilted: Blurs are still good! A tripod is a must for this kind of shot.

Shooting Data: NIKON D800, 70.0-200.0 mm f/2.8 at 100 mm, 1/500 at f/2.8, Aperture priority Mode, -2/3 EV, ISO 500
Pharoah’s Revenge: There’s a treasure trove of unusual subject matter at the Teton Country Fair right now. It’s a great place to experiment, make mistakes, learn from them, and generally have fun like a little kid. Better yet, there are about five nights, so even if you don’t get what you want one night, you should have second and third chances. If you are shooting in RAW format, you have additional chances to modify the original capture.

(Note: As I post this page, there are still two more nights at the Fair. If I have a chance to go again, I’ll be adding more photos to this page. Check back!)
Here’s a link to last year’s Fair post: Fair Time! Photos from the Teton County Fair.
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