Waukesha County Fair and a Lesson Learned

This past Saturday, I decided to visit the Waukesha County Fair for the first time in 3 years.  Mostly, I went because it was close (I just didn't feel like using up gas last weekend), but I also knew that the latest assignment for my Photo Composition class was Editorial Portraits.  (Note: I decided not to name this Photo Composition Class #5 since Editorial Photography is what this blog is all about anyway)

I learned a very important lesson when I arrived at the fair and saw what made a great first subject for my assignment, the gentleman below who carves wood with a chainsaw.  But, when I turned on my camera, the screen blinked at me that there was no memory card.  In my rush to get out the door, I left my card in the reader since I had been working on editing photos the day before.

Luckilly for me, Art's Camera Plus (http://www.artscameras.com) had a stand there.  Sure enough, I was able to buy a small memory card for only $5.00.  So, if you plan on taking a lot of pictures, and you know you will be far from home (and especially if you know you'll be far from civilization), bring a backup battery AND a backup memory card.  You just never know.

After I got my camera back in working order, I took the photograph of the chainsaw artist, and meandered down to where the equestrian competitions were taking place.  I got a lot of photos of the competitors waiting around on their horses, but I thought the one below was the best for my class.

I then went over to where the competitions were being held, and used the Sports setting on my Canon camera to get some action shots.  What's nice about this setting is, if you have a DSLR camera, you can keep your finger pressed on the shutter to capture as many shots as you want in quick succession.  The struggle is, though, you might only get 1 or 2 shots out of 4 that are usable.  But it is fun to see what you get.

I decided to use the rest of my time at the fair to see the 4-H art in one of the arenas, have lunch (I was good - just a taco and a water) and get individual shots of some of the people working.  You can see those below.

I only spent a few hours at the Waukesha County Fair since storm clouds were ever-present, but I did have fun.  I got to see really good art, took a lot of fun photos, and see some cute animals.  This is my last post for the Photography Composition class.  Next week is our last class, and the assignment is Self Portrait.  I can't wait to take more classes and learn more skills that I can pass on.