It is after all, Alamogordo, NM, made famous by White Sands National Monument. There is sand everywhere. So, for those of us who like to shoot different things, why not shoot something different, eh?
On our way to Cloudcroft, NM, we spotted a street carnival and decided to check it out later in the evening after our evening shoot at the sands. When we arrived ‘on the scene’ there were lots of people milling about, mostly kids, excited and having a great time. I wanted to see if I could capture some of that glee that I was experiencing.
For me, the carnival is about excitement and mostly about the rides. So, I wanted to show motion. I set my camera on shutter priority at 1/6 of a second. The carnival was brightly lit, so this was not a problem. As I was going for the motion look, blurring was not a problem, it was a goal.
I decided to concentrate on the kids as they are quite a bit uninhibited about their fun! I shot quite a few shots, all using the, now ubiquitous, 50mm f/1.8 on my D300. Of all of the shots that I took, only about 10% amounted to anything, the rest hit the bit-bucket, but it was an enjoyable experience, well worth it, and a great break from the sand. Icing on the cake, so to speak.
So, when you are in town, don’t forget to check out what the locals are doing. It could be fun and it won’t cost you anything … unless you want to take a ride and perhaps have some cotton candy! 
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3 Responses to “Taking a break from the sand: Looking around”
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Boy are you having a great time!! Yeeeeehaw!
Tena koe ehoa
Yes I love the visual sense of motion in the bottom image Paul. Have you tried panning with a subject in focus to gain a sense of motion in the background with any of the shots from this outing? Would be great to see some if you did….
@Ndiginiz: Yes, I did some panning, this was one of them; however, with the left-to-right motion as well as the horses going up and down, it was kind of hard to get a sharp shot of the people.