TECHNICAL DETAILS

Sony A7ii, Sony FE 28-70 3.5-5.6OSS
1/350 @ f/3.5, ISO 800

THREE DAYS AT THE FAIR

I’ve just had the opportunity to do a workshop through the Minneapolis Photo Center. The workshop was a three-day intensive shoot at the 2017 Minnesota State Fair, led by Layne Kennedy. Layne is a noted editorial and magazine photographer, having worked for the likes of National Geographic and Smithsonian. He’s also a very insightful instructor, who concentrates on helping photographers see better images and think editorially in their work. Twelve photographers spent a good part of three days shooting at #TheGreatMinnesotaGetTogether to capture the experience from many different perspectives.

My personal goal in participating in this workshop was really to have the have the experience of shooting together with others. During past times when I’ve not been solo shooter, I’ve really enjoyed not only the comaraderie of the experience, but I have grown greatly through seeing others perspectives of the same thing I was shooting, marveling at how different their renditions were from my own. An experienced leader can make that happen for a group, encouraging new vision without the judgement of one being somehow “better.” Layne accomplished that admirably, at times reassuring, but not hesitating to push you outside the comfort zone.

The three shooting sessions started with a Friday evening with the lights coming up in the Midway, the rides, the night lighting and vibe. Saturday was a daytime affair, witnessing the fair at its mid-day, weekend peak. And Sunday morning started with the gates opening at 6:00 a.m., and a tranquil glimpse of the grounds waking up in the early light and sparse traffic. All went as planned, although Saturday was pretty wet, with intermittent–and at time drenching–rain showers all day long and into evening. That naturally turned us towards some of the animal barns, where a rain episode could be easily escaped with a retreat inside. Truth be told, I love that part of the fair the most anyway. The sweet smell of hay and bedding, the 4H kids interacting with their animals, and the continuous activity of caring for all the beasts in such close proximity always makes for compelling subjects. The light is a challenge inside, though; the barns aren’t exactly brightly lit.

During one spell of better weather we were in back of  the cattle barn as the behind-the-show activities played out. Cows being washed and groomed for judging, trucks bringing and picking up animals and people, grooming supply vendors operating out of trailer stores with everything from cow hairspray (fur spray?) to horse mane ribbons to sheep jackets. It’s a frenetic, vivid scene.

At one point, at the back of the barn where a loading dock and ramp is a main drop-off and pickup point for cattle, the judging was over for one class of steers, and one by one, they were being led out to a large 18-wheeler livestock trailer pulled by the classic square-front Kenworth. Several of us gathered around the back to watch the proceedings, shooting from several different vantages points. It was crowded and loud, with baying steers, diesel rumbles and lots of animated directions being given. I was positioned low at the back edge of the truck, the dock coming up to about mid-chest height on me.

I was shooting with my 28-70 Sony lens, which candidly is my least used glass. I know everyone raves about this range lens, and they are certainly versatile, spanning from moderate wide to moderate telephoto range. But for me, it always seems a bit too moderate, I guess. It often leaves me craving a wider field, or missing the compression of something longer, or missing the bokeh of a fast prime. But it was on, and for this situation seemed right. The particular steer in the image above was having second thoughts about the truck, clearly. Legs stiffened in resistance, the front end went up in protest, his eyes shifting quickly as if to gauge options, which for him, sad to say, were few.

A collection of people pushed and pulled to get him through the ramp and on to the truck. This process took some considerable effort. The gentleman with the long beard and headset came up behind the steer, grabbed a handful of tail, and leaned in hard to prevent it from backing out. I shot bursts of images from my low vantage point. And nearly 30 frames later, the animal relented and clattered onto the steel grated trailer with a groan. Next.

I was fortunate to be in my spot on the ground. Not only did I like the angle to shoot from, but several of my colleagues who were up on the ramp were then shooed off by the ramp boss — a formidable woman, herself, and with clearly no compunction about moving things around — claiming the scene was entirely too dangerous for their ilk, and muttering about policy and liability.

But my images were already exposed. I knew that the scene would make one of the memorable shots of the weekend. The color of the steer, the gray-wrangler’s position while pushing, were the right stuff. Layne posted an image the next day that looks to be taken at almost the same moment as mine, but from the exact opposite side of the scene. It’s interesting to see a moment that is so viscerally memorable to me from the actual 180-degree opposite vantage point. It makes you realize that each perspective brings to the dialog a unique position, and how each of them can be validating, while the exact counter to someone else’s view.

Perhaps in these times it’s wise to remember that some lessons from a weekend photo workshop are as valuable in our political lives as they are in our artistic pursuits.

You can see a larger album of my favorites from the 72HOUR shoot on Flickr <here>.

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