Little boy about to throw a ball in a carnival arcade contest while adults watch.

Timeless Moments Require Timely Timing

Pat Green

Will he win the prize? Carnival arcade in Summer, the carny barker lets the little boy get a higher vantage point! The family watches with anticipation as he focuses and winds up for the overhand throw. 

Moments like this are classic Americana. Since the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the modern traveling carnival experience has had moments, and photographs, similar to this. It is because of the Chicago connection that I love shooting carnivals. One of the stars in the Chicago Flag reflected in my company logo is dedicated to the 1893 World’s Fair. 

It is not only a timeless moment for any street photographer to take part in, but it is a moment that requires being aware and having your own sense of timing. Seeking that moment of childlike wonder requires still having your inner child in your life. 

Towards the end of the article I am going to show some of my other shots to capture the moment of a carnival arcade and the wonder. I was seeking for my interpretation of a moment in such a place of wonder for a child that we have seen many times over the decades. 

Some would say that doing shots that have been done before is unoriginal, but I am not sure there are many original moments left, all there is is our interpretation of them. 

Director, screenwriter, and actor Kevin Smith was once interviewed after the release of his movie, Jersey Girl. In the interview he was asked about using the tired hollywood trope of the slow clap in a scene towards the end. His response was, “This is my slow clap”.

This is my child at a carnival arcade enjoying the wonder of the moment.

Little boy about to throw a ball in a carnival arcade contest while adults watch.
2 young girls and a boy reaching into bucket of ping pong balls to play a arcade carnival game while other teens watch.
Carnival worker explaining rules of an arcade game to a mother and her child.

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