Ann Arbor Summer Carnival – Super Nova in Motion
10-20mm @10 mm, 3 s, f/22, ISO 100

Ann Arbor’s summer carnival has come and gone for the year.  It’s been 15 or so years since I last went with my daughter – or should I say, the last year she went with me. That had something to do with my favorite ride, the scrambler. I love(d) the G-forces as the circle-within-a-circle centrifugal force combined to slide us hard to the outside of the car. On the other hand, my middle ear didn’t agree with my sense of excitement – as soon as the ride was over, I staggered to a patch of parched grass and lay down for 15 or 20 minutes before I felt able to drive 5 minutes to get us home. That was our last summer carnival together!

Ann Arbor Summer Carnival
10-20mm @20 mm, 6 s, f/32, ISO 100

(Side note: A few years later, we tried Busch Gardens in Tampa, where I loved to ride the roller coasters – until my middle ear took over again.  Understandably, my daughter was not happy.)

Zipper in Motion
10-20mm @20 mm, 3 s, f/32, ISO 100

A Different Summer Carnival Approach

Back to this year’s carnival. I decided to approach the rides differently – photographically, that is. Time exposures were the trick. One night with long lens and a black sky (pictures below), and the next with wide angle and, for a while, a bit of twilight (pictures above). I had lots of fun and stayed late both nights!  I ended up with lots of light streaks, a UFO-looking image, and a bit of spirograph effect from the Zipper. Altogether, a different, and safer, summer carnival experience.

UFO or Tilt-a-Whirl
70-200mm @200 mm, 6 s, f/22, ISO 50

Ferris Wheel
70-200mm @150 mm, 8 s, f/20, ISO 50