Last night my husband told me that there was going to be a Peach Festival in a neighboring town, and he wanted to know if we all wanted to go. There was going to be a pancake breakfast, parade, booths, and more. I said sure, sounded fun! Not only did it sound fun, but I thought this was the perfect event to start out my new photo journey on. There was sure to be many photograph-able events. I could try out new angles, get some crowd shots, and anything else I could come up with on the spot. I packed the diaper bag for our one-year old, inwardly praising myself for being so prepared. I opted to bring with my small handheld camera and phone, and left my DSLR camera at home. I chose this route since I figured I would have my hands full with my LO. Again, I patted myself on the back for thinking ahead.

I was quickly knocked off my high-horse the next morning. We arrived at the pancake breakfast after the usually driving around and looking for the best spot to park. I was prepared: Baby was in the stroller (lathered with sunscreen), my diaper backpack was on, and I had my phone and camera in my pockets. After getting to the breakfast, we trudged through the line. The food was plentiful for the $7 a piece we paid: pancakes, sausage, eggs, milk, orange juice, and coffee. As I stood in line, I looked out into the crowd and thought that this would be a good photographic moment. People smiling, enjoying their food, all while as the sun was just peeking over the horizon. I quickly realized that steering the stroller with one hand and holding a flimsy plate filled with food in the other is easier said than done. I put my creative thoughts on hold until I got to the table. At that point though, the food smelled so good all I wanted to do was eat and share the moment with my family. I settled down and settled for this one food shot that wouldn’t even be good for Instagram. Boy, the food does look tasty though! And it was. 🙂

We then headed over to the parade. I had ideas of getting great shots of the crowd with enjoyment on their faces, or creative shots of the floats. However, I realized several things: 1) I was going to be relegated to one spot most of the parade, 2) I didn’t have time to make the setting adjustments to my camera, 3) at several points I helped hold the LO, leaving me to use my phone camera in my left hand. My best shot was one of the classic cars coming down the road, which happened in a rare moment I could sneak out closer to the street. It did require some editing though. I feel like there is a lot of noise in this photograph, and that it doesn’t follow the rule of thirds properly. For next year, I hope to improve on this shot.

Next we walked over to where the festival was at. The night before, fireworks had lit a hill on fire. There was still smoke rising from the ground, and firetrucks were on scene. It would have been the subject of some great composition. However, we were pretty far away and I had left my good camera equipment at home. I did get this shot (which I had to crop and edit the colors on). By the time we reached the actual festival, the temperature had soared. Also, there was a very long line to get into the festival. At that point we decided to take the LO and ourselves home.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with my family. It was exciting to watch my LO’s reactions to the parade. I did get some sweet family moment shots as well, so not all was lost. However, with regards to my goals of getting a photo in one of NG YourShot assignments, I have a long way to go and a lot to learn.

Next year, I hope to return to the Peach Festival and improve upon what I learned. Hopefully, I will able to actually get a picture of some peaches as well! 🙂

-Amanda