One photographer has mastered the art of capturing kaleidoscopic images of fairgrounds through time-lapse photography — but it wasn’t exactly a whirlwind ride.
Roger Vail spent more than four decades building up his collection of images, which have an interesting method of showcasing the trajectories of certain rides.
The photographer shot his first fairground ride in this style in 1971, going on to capture nighttime images on exposures that ranged from 30 seconds to 30 minutes in duration.
“I discovered early on that almost all carnival rides last around 3 minutes,” Vail told Caters News.
“So, I would adjust my exposure settings so that they were all close to that time to get the full effect of the moving patterns of light.
Vail, 72, from north of Monterey, Calif., travelled to the likes of Chicago, San Francisco and even Italy to build out his collection of photographs.
His works are currently on display as part of the “Summer Selection” exhibit at the Joseph Bellows Gallery, in San Diego, which runs through August 26, 2017.
“What kept me going for so long was the fun in not knowing what they would look like until the film was developed,” said Vail.
“The view camera technology I have used is fundamentally the same technology that Ansel Adams used 70 years ago. In my opinion, it is a beautiful and complete craft such as it is.”
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