In honor of World Photography Day, I’d like to share this pic I took back in March. It was taken in Canyonlands just east of the Green River overlook. I had attempted to edit this one for months but never could find the correct color palette until today!
Before this weekend it had been quite some time since I have been to the fair. As much as I travel to different amusement parks across the country I don’t often visit fairs or carnivals for some odd reason. I was excited to check this out and take some long exposures of the rides and drone/firework show!
This is Hurricane and it’s a traveling coaster brought all the way up to Ohio from Big Play Entertainment Center in Biloxi, MS! It’s now owned by Prime Time Carnival Company and travels around the states! I have not been on too many traveling coasters outside of the occasional Wild Mouse model but this one has to be one of the best! I was shocked on just how smooth it was and the downward helix was surprisingly intense!
A drone show on a random Thursday night in Sandusky? Yes please! The original show scheduled on July 3rd was postponed due to severe weather but the drones lit up the sky tonight as spectators watched from below! This actually worked out for the better since I wasn’t able to attend the previous show. Who knew ships could not only be in the water but in the sky too? 🤣
I don’t often get to experience rain rides on coasters mostly because I carry my camera equipment with me but I had such a memorable experience on Great American Scream Machine in the pouring rain July 24! This was the first time I’ve ridden it and it instantly shot up in my wooden coaster rankings. The setting is so picturesque especially over the water! I didn’t think the roughness was too bad either!
After experiencing many, many dive loops in the past I thought I knew what this element was going to feel like but I was totally wrong! That twist to the right before turning the opposite direction takes you by surprise!
There is only one week left, (you heard that right), one week left to experience one the countries best coasters! I had the chance to visit this park this week for my first time and get several strong airtime filled rides on the incredible Arieforce One. These memories will forever been engraved in my brain! Let this be the final call, if you are tempted to make the trip out to Atlanta to ride this monster don’t let anyone change your mind - just do it! I was pleasantly surprised how well these photos came out. They may be some of my best coaster photography to date so I hope you appreciate them as much as I do! The sky was perfect with the storm clouds and shining sun combined as the backdrop!
Just another show for the audience to watch while clenching their teeth! I love how the park continues to add new and different acts to the already amazing lineup of daredevils entertaining us during Boardwalk Nights! What is your favorite show?
Will Hoge & Scott Terry live from…a barn? You got that right, A BARN! The Summit FM surely knows how pair and artist and setting for a member exclusive show and this is a fine example of that! Strawberry Fields Forever in Akron hosts several outdoor concerts a year in partnership with the Summit bringing in acts such as these guys to perform in that countryside Ohio air!
I had the honor of photographing Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs live at Northfield Park’s Centerstage this past Saturday, July 11!
What an energetic and alive crowd (‘So Alive’ you could say haha). What started as an ordinary set of songs featuring many from their new album, Mission Of Mercy, took a crazy turn at the encore. The whole concert spiraled into a musical frenzy as Mike asked the crowd what they wanted to hear played. I have seen some encores in my life but this had to be the wildest one ever, so much in fact that it included 7 additional songs! The energy in that room was unmatched!
I’m not sure if it was because the casino never closes or if he was just in the mood to rock but either way, people got their moneys worth! At 23 years old I’m too young to have professionally photographed Tom Petty before his passing but I’m so glad Mike is still out there bringing the house down!
One of the world’s greatest songwriters and storytellers, James McMurtry, returned to Cleveland for a tour stop at the Beachland Ballroom yesterday evening - this time with a new band name (The Martial Law Review) and a new batch of songs from the most recent album entitled ‘The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy.’ I had the opportunity to photograph this rocking show through my lens!
BettySoo opened the set with several originals before James joined her on stage to perform a duet on both his own ‘Gulf Road’ and Woody Guthrie’s ‘Deportee.’
Setlist:
Fuller Brush Man
Childish Things
Copper Canteen
You Got To Me
The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy
Choctaw Bingo
Blackberry Winter
Annie
Canola Fields
Sailing Away
South Texas Lawman
Jackie
If It Don’t Bleed
The Color Of Night
No More Buffalo
Ft. Walton Wake Up Call
Too Long In The Wasteland
Sons Of The Second Sons
It’s officially the weekend and that means it’s the final two days to experience Barrels & Bites! This event just flew by but don’t fret, there’s even more fun coming up soon! This upcoming Monday, June 29, brings the red, white, and blue festivities of the Star Spangled Celebration!
It’s officially the weekend and that means it’s the final two days to experience Barrels & Bites! This event just flew by but don’t fret, there’s even more fun coming up soon! This upcoming Monday, June 29, brings the red, white, and blue festivities of the Star Spangled Celebration!
Is it just me or did Skyhawk get new red, white, and blue lights this year? If I remember correctly, the last time I took a picture it only had red. Anywho, here is a light trail shot from Thursday night!
This is going to be so much fun when it opens! For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, it’s basically an immersive 3D surrounding experience you can enjoy watching a sporting event or movie! Not only that but there will be a whole menu to purchase food from! The LED technology is very similar to something like the Sphere in Las Vegas. It’s aimed for a 2027 opening!
I will state this - the last and ONLY time I’ve ridden one of these models was about 10 years ago at a county fair. I have been to countless theme parks and ridden some of the most intense rides in the country but nothing will ever come close to the sickening experience that is a Hurricane. These are relatively common at local fairs and carnivals but I will never ride one again.
For those unfamiliar, the ride experience is quite simple. It’s basically a giant swing ride where you sit in a car attached to an arm that revolves around the center tower while bobbing. On paper it seems to be just some ordinary attraction but not to me. It made me so sick that I almost had to lie on my back lol. With all of this said, this model does make for some excellent long exposure photos. These were some I took about two weeks ago!
Do you have a ride model you’ll never ride again? If so, what is it?
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been to a local carnival or fair. As often as I visit theme parks there is a much different vibe from a small town fair so I set out last night to photograph the Summer In The City Festival!
These types of events focus on community and that’s exactly what they achieve! From the food vendors, to the traveling rides, so many people are involved in making festivals like these happen! The night lights are also much crazier than your typical amusement park offering great light trails in long exposure photos! Here are some of my favorites from last night! What is your favorite small town carnival around the Cleveland area?