Indiana State Fair midway (and the rest of the fair)

Discussion in 'Non Disney Photos / Mobile Phone Photos' started by ddindy, Aug 16, 2018.

  1. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    It's good to have a real brick-and-mortar camera store nearby. In 2018, Roberts Camera offered a night photography workshop on the midway of the Indiana State Fair. It was neat to get out and try a few new tricks with a group of like-minded people. Here are the results.

    There was a 40% chance of rain in the forecast and things weren't looking too promising at the scheduled meeting time. Fortunately, the sky started to clear up and gave is a beautiful red sky at sunset.

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    Sunset on the Midway



    Thanks to modern LED lighting, I had a hard time getting exposures long enough to give the desired effect. (I packed some ND filters, but sadly left them in the car parked at the opposite end of the fairgrounds.) The Freak Out ride has four sets of seats at the end of an arm that swings and spins. In the background you can see the Screamer, which is an older ride that just spins around.

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    Freaking Out



    The instructor had us try some zoom action during the exposures. This is another spinny ride called 1001 Nachts.

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    1001 Nachts



    This is my favorite of the evening. The moving lights combined with the zoom resulted in an interesting effect.

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    Alien Abduction


    It was definitely a learning experience. At WDW, I'm used to 20-30 second exposures at f/8. On the brightly lit midway, I was had the lens closed all the way down to f/22 and could only manage 2-4 second exposures without blowing out highlights. Next time I'll remember the ND filters.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2022
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  2. Scottwdw

    Scottwdw Member

    Night photography on a fair midway is always a fun time. Nice set, @ddindy

    The NY State Fair opened last week and I will be making multiple visits over the next 10 days.
     
  3. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    It's almost State Fair time again, so I'm posting some more photos from the 2018 Indiana State Fair.

    This was my favorite ride as a kid. I could still ride it, but I've been spoiled by Disney World.

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    Spinny Fun
     
  4. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Just the thing for plowing your garden: A half-scale model of a steam traction engine.

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    Think Small
     
  5. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    I assume that most, if not all, state fairs have some sort of a parade. In Indiana, there is an antique farm equipment parade in the late afternoon. It's mostly tractors, but this fuel delivery truck qualifies since it probably visited many farms in the area.

    It's a 1928 Ford model AA truck. I love to read the specs on old engines - according to the signe, the engine in this one has four cylinders totaling 200 cubic inches, producing all of 40 horsepower.

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    Making Its Mark
     
  6. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    If you eat all of the interesting and unique fair food, this hyperspeed Ferris wheel might make you hurl it into the next county.

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    Snacks and Spins
     
  7. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

  8. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Things are really green at the Indiana State Fair. Above you can see a classic green John Deere tractor.
    Below is a classic Case traction engine (also green) doing what it was designed to do: Power another piece of equipment.

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    Green Power



    And here's the piece of equipment it's powering: A portable sawmill, turning trees into building material.

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    Sawing Logs


    And it you want to talk about environmentalism: The trees on the sawmill are a renewable resource and the traction engine is powered by coal, which is a plant-based fuel.
     
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  9. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Another shot of Freak Out, combining a long exposure with a focal length change.

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    Midway Spirograph
     
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  10. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    PIckup trucks looked a little different in 1914. This International Harvester Auto Wagon has comfortable seats in the front and a flat bed in the back for hauling farm supplies. It also has a very high ground clearance to get around on those muddy farm fields, and can be used to run errands or go to church. On second thought, that sounds a lot like the monster trucks that are common today.

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    All Dressed Up and Going Somewhere
     
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  11. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Another trick photo, changing the zoom while the shutter was open.

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    Zoom Bloom
     
  12. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Indianapolis is the Racing Capitol of the World, so it's no surprise that the oval at the Indiana State Fairgrounds has a long history of racing action.

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    Historic Dirt


    Here's an example from that history: Mike Martin giving you a lesson in "turn left to go right" during practice for the 2010 Hoosier Hundred.

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    Magic Man
     
  13. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    I couldn't think of any good "juggling the law" jokes for this photo of an Indiana State Police juggler. Any suggestions?

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    Special Talent
     
  14. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    These streamlined stainless-steel display cases have fascinated me for as long as I have been going to the Indiana State Fair. They are located in the Home and Family Arts Building (formerly called the Women's Building and currently called the Arts Building) and are used to display handmade items from some of the many competition categories. As you can see, they are built to look like railroad passenger cars of the 1940s. I tried to research their history but have not found any information yet. I have a feeling that they were either used in a department store or were part of a special display at Indianapolis Union Station.

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    Rail-less Railcar


    Here's a shot from the balcony that I took in 2010. In the background you can see a half-width car on the right wall and the rounded tail section of another display to the right of the doorway, just behind the car in the foreground.

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    Streamlined displays
     
  15. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    I'm posting this photo in May. During May in Indianapolis, the primary focus is on the Indianapolis 500, where the race winner traditionally takes a drink of milk. The slogan Winners Drink Milk is used to promote the products of Indiana's dairy farmers. The mascot for the ad campaign is this black and white checkered cow, seen in the Indiana State Fair's afternoon antique tractor parade.

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    Milk Float
     
  16. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    The sun is setting, the midway lights are glowing and the Yo is yo'ing.

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    YoYo Yo
     
  17. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    There is apparently a group of people who convert their lawn tractors into replicas of full-size farm tractors. Here's the result of one person with too much time on their hands.

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    Granny's Hot Wheels
     
  18. gary

    gary Member

    i have to admire the craftsmanship and attention to detail, especially since my father in law had a very similar real life tractor. and is this this years fair??
     
  19. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    @gary All of the above photos are from 2018 (except the 2010 sprint car shot). The tractor is based on a 1568 Farmall according to the tag on the side that's too small to read. I haven't decided if I'm going to the fair this year or not. There are a lot of great bands playing this year, but the combination of a free-with-admission concert and a great band means big crowds around the stage. The dates are July 28 - August 20 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), if you're interested.
     
  20. ddindy

    ddindy Member Staff Member

    Back in the days before combines had been invented, wheat was cut in the fields and transported to a central location where someone had brought in a threshing machine. The machine was frequenly powered by a steam traction engine such as this relatively new model. This photo was taken during one of the historic farming demonstrations presented in Pioneer Village.

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    Harvest Time
     

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