By Michael-Leonard Creditor / Flexible Fotography
It’s officially called the San Diego County Fair. Folks around here, however, mostly just call it The Fair. At least during the month of June.
For three years in the 1990s I was the on-site photographer-of-record for The Fair. It was one of the most arduous photo jobs I ever had: 21 days straight (back then The Fair ran continuously without closing) of being there, on-site and on-call, all day, and sometimes part of the night, to photograph anything and everything that went on at The Fair.
But it was also lots of fun. For one thing, I had access to places that are off-limits to the public, and at times when the fairgrounds was still closed to the public. So, while I fulfilled all the duties I had to as Fair Photographer (that’s photographer for The Fair, not just a fair photographer) I also was able to make quite a few images for myself that I knew weren’t particularly useful to the client. Since we are right in the midst of The Fair, here are some of those photos you will see nowhere else.
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Green GyroThe length of the exposure was timed to include one complete swing of the pendulum for an overall even exposure. -
Del Mar FairI was always amazed at how different The Fair was from day to night. This dichotomy is probably true of every county fair in the entire nation. -
Nighttime MidwayI was always amazed at how different The Fair was from day to night. This dichotomy is probably true of every county fair in the entire nation. -
Wheel ReflectionsShot from across the outlet of the San Dieguito Lagoon, otherwise known as the Del Mar Slough. -
Carnival Excitement!Zoomed during exposure while the wheel was moving but the other rides were stationary. -
Fun Zone, Del Mar FairI shot these from the top of the old Don Diego clock tower (the one with the bathrooms where everyone always arranged to meet their family or friends). Longtime fairgrounds staffers told me that nobody had ever made photos from up there. Since it’s been torn down, this vantage may never be available again. -
Fun Zone, NightfallI shot these from the top of the old Don Diego clock tower (the one with the bathrooms where everyone always arranged to meet their family or friends). Longtime fairgrounds staffers told me that nobody had ever made photos from up there. Since it’s been torn down, this vantage may never be available again. -
Carnival ChoicesThe ambivalence of this photo always appealed to me. The carny is directing that group somewhere else while the trio close to the camera are contemplating that booth. -
The Grand WheelAn exposure time of 2 seconds was just right for the moving lights to catch up to themselves so there’s just solid lights. -
The Grand Wheel dxA double-exposure of 6 seconds and 3 seconds. -
Carnival SwhirlHere, the camera and lens are stationary but the ride is rising up as well as rotating. The exposure time is 4 seconds. -
Centrifugal ForceThis ride was spinning so fast it only needed an exposure of 1 second. Also zoomed the lens. -
Wheels of LifeShot on Kodak film that is balanced to compensate for warm incandescent lighting. When used under daylight conditions, the film renders a cooler blue, which accentuated the blue in the pre-dawn sky. -
Wheel and MoonSince the fair is always in June, getting clear skies at sunrise or sunset doesn’t happen too often. Add to that: full or new moons occur basically only 3 or 4 days during the month, further limiting photographic possibilities. Finally, factor in being at the correct location and you can begin to appreciate the uniqueness of these shots. -
Wheel Within Wheel, Zoom -
Wheel Within Wheel, BlueAnother shot on tungsten-balanced film. I don’t know if this effect can be done with digital cameras, or if Instagram has a filter like that, but I have several rolls of this discontinued film stock in the freezer. -
Wheel Within Wheel, GreenShot just minutes after the Blue exposure, this un-Earthly green color is how normal daylight-balanced film registers neon lighting. The bright dot at the top of the frame is Venus. -
Beauty LineupRemember the “Fairest of the Fair” contest in all the county high schools? This is the 1996 court. The Fairest of the Fair pageant still happens in other locations, but the last one here was 2004. -
Alien EyesEnjoy The Fair everyone! It’s our countywide yearly guilty pleasure.
All photos © michael-leonard creditor / full-size images @ flexible fotography
Michael-Leonard Creditor
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