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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

What do you have to do to get to the moment? Will you go with the crowd or find another way?

On Labor Day at was at a festival in Naperville, Illinois. It is a suburb of chicago. I am in the arcade game area which had a narrow passage. Ahead of me I saw a man with a great hat on. I could not get a good angle on him from where I was and he was working his way through the crowd. I had to get ahead of him if I wanted the shot. 

My only path was around and not through. I had to leave the main path and get up into a grass hill between the main path and local buildings. I trotted my way up and around to get to where he would be coming through the crowd. 

He saw me coming around and he knew my intentions. What I did not know is he was with his kids and wanted the

What can you do to get closer to your subject, lead, prospect,  client?

There is an old saying in Photography that was coined by Robert Capa, one of the best combat photographers and photojournalists we’ve had.  “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” 

When I do street photography I mostly am running about with a fixed lens compact camera. My zoom feature is my feet. If there is a zoom feature on my compact. 

I saw this band performing in a park in the Chicago Suburbs on Labor Day. Their outfits and stage presence was compelling and I really wanted a shot of them. The crowd was large, tight, and not masked. Frankly, I would expect nothing less from Naperville Illinois in the middle of the deadly Del

On a personal front I have a lot on my plate. There has been more stress in the last few months than in any time of my life. I have been leaning on a small group of people who have been standing with me through the storm. Saturday before last I just needed to walk it all off. I grabbed my Pentax K3ii Limited Silver edition, packed some lenses, batteries, and a water bottle into my photo vest, and took a train to downtown Chicago. And I walked. 

I walked over seven miles and came across the Gold Coast Art Fair in Chicago’s Grant Park. I found my spirits restored connecting with artists and art. Before I left I decided to have a cool drink by a bandstand. Simple trio. Acoustic strings, a violin, and a voice as beautiful as the instruments. I sat and enjoyed their music for a f