We are back at the PDX-edition of the Macy’s Holiday Parade.  My niece, Jennifer (shown above), is a killer sax player, and her band is a regular participant in the parade.  This gives me a good excuse to work in an area that I would never otherwise cover.  I don’t believe that anyone would imagine that photographing a parade would be easy, but let me just confirm that it is an extremely challenging proposition.

The main challenge of course is to get the shot right the first time – chances are that you will not get a second attempt.  This requires that you know you can properly diagnose the light, know your gear, and that you can get a wide range of shots with a minimal lens complement.  In many ways it’s the same challenge faced by any outdoor nature photographer.  If you’ve ever tried to shoot a black bear on the move or bird landing or flying off you know what I’m talking about.

Here’s a practical consideration that might be a bit under-appreciated…  Given that parades are linear entities, there are just two aspects from which to shoot them from: the left side or the right side.  How do you choose?  Of course there may be obvious advantages/disadvantages to a particular perspective, which dictate which side you choose, but often as not it’s going to be arbitrary.  For me it is easy, which side is my niece the killer sax player closest to?

Those of you who know PDX will appreciate that the street layout downtown is dominated by long boulevards that run north-south.  This geography dictates the course of the parade and means that you end up standing on either the west side; as I did last year, or on the east side as I did for this event.  Don’t even think about going back and forth – you will end up with nothing.

The light that morning was harsh, and I deliberately left a few shots – like the ones above of the Holiday King and Queen and the Llama handler – in the natural high-key lighting that was present.  Although I think that the high-key thing is overdone in many instances, I believe that these shots work pretty well.

For color and contrast, what can beat a clown outfit?  Answer = nothing!

Images in this gallery were recorded between about 08:45 and 09:45 (PST) on November 26, 2010, using the Nikon D3s and the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED V RII lens.  Overcast sky with periodic sunbreaks led to exposures in the range of f/8 and 1/400s to 1/1000s.  ISO between 3200 and 6400 – once again, I am pretty confident that there is simply no better camera under these conditions that the D3s.

Copyright 2010 Peter F. Flynn. No usage permitted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.