Cariwest Parade

Cariwest Parade
Originally uploaded by amkb

Anna: Philippe got some really amazing shots of the parade (see below) using the 70-300mm lens. I used the 18-55mm lens to get the distance shots he wouldn't be able to get. I've got mine uploaded here, if you want to see the rest.

Keep in mind when looking at these photos, we were near the very end of a long parade route. Not just in distance, which would have been enough to tire participants out, but in time. The police were able to close the main route to traffic, but there were a number of cross streets they couldn't close completely. Every now and then, between floats, they had to stop and let the traffic through. The parade was supposed to start at 12 or 12:30 (depending on where the info was coming from) but it was past 1 before we saw the start. It was past 2:40 by the time we packed up our chairs and headed home, so it would have been closer to 3 before the tail of the parade reached the end, a few blocks away from where we were.

This is one of the few decent frontal shots I managed to get. It was a fantastic parade with amazing costumes, but I wasn't able to get many clear shots, and those were almost all profile and back shots. Mostly due to one particular old woman who kept blocking my view, though she wasn't the only one. We were near an intersection, and whenever a new group drew close, a surge of people would step into the crosswalk area, taking pictures. Some would take their shots and step out, but a couple just stayed out until the group had passed, blocking everyone's view. By the end of the parade, people were actually walking into the parade, following people around, blocking any chance I - and others around me - had of getting a clear shot. It was very frustrating! I found myself glad I thought to bring my old S3 along and took some video, allowing me to catch the costumes in the gaps.