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Photo Tips & Techniques

Parades, festivals, battle reenactments, and ethnic celebrations all make for wonderful photographic opportunities. Subjects are adorned in elaborate costumes and the backgrounds are filled with props that accentuate the setting. To get good shots, you'll need a wide to telephoto zoom, a flash to tame the harsh midday light, researched information about the celebration, and your creativity.

With regards to research, find out the specific route of the parade. A few days before it takes place, walk it noting the direction of the sun and what the backgrounds look like. Mark the locations where the subjects will be front lit with pleasing backgrounds. These will be the points at which you want to stake a claim. On the day of the parade, get there early enough to be in the front row of spectators and let the action come to you. If it's a small town parade, see if you can get a photographer's pass. This will allow you to walk the route with the participants and get shots that would otherwise be unobtainable.

Don't let equipment be a burden. Being able to move freely and easily is key to getting good images. The most amount of equipment I take is a 35-135mm lens along with a 75-300. This lets me cover everything form wide angle to telephoto. The only accessory I take is a flash to fill in the shadow areas on people's faces on sunny days. Whether I'm shooting slides or prints, I bring the slowest speed film that allows me to hand hold my 75-300 and still get a sharp image. On sunny days, this means ISO 100 while overcast or gray days dictate faster films in the 400 ISO range. Digital shooters have the luxury of changing the ISO rating on a picture by picture basis.

To make your pictures unique, look beyond the obvious shot of trying to take in the entire celebration in one photograph. Try to isolate details, compose the picture so the elements tell a story, shoot from a high or low angle, or achieve a unique result by zooming the lens on a single subject or group of people as they come toward you. Additionally, use depth of field creatively using a long lens set to a wide aperture so only the element upon which you focus will be sharp. Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment with a new technique or combine more than one of the above ideas onto a single piece of film. Check your local paper to see when the next festival is scheduled and I expect to see you there with your camera!

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