Darke County FAir - August 2024

People leading horses along stable pathway at dusk.

My friend Mike had been taking photos of various county fairs in the area all summer and invited me to tag along for the Darke County Fair – I haven’t done any photography like this before and I was excited to get the lights after dark, and honestly we had a really fun time! I learned so much about shooting at night, and this was one of the most successful single afternoons of photography I ever had up to this point.


If there is one thing I do regret somewhat, it's that this was during a period where I was experimenting with shooting only JPEG images instead of RAW. I was a bit tired of the editing process by this point so I wasn't super interested in going through all of these files, but I've since swung back and recognize the value of being able to put my own spin on it. But personally I always value "composition over everything," so it was a valuable experience for me in experimentation and learning my camera better, so I'll consider it a personal win that I was able to pull this off 🙂

Carnival food stands and rides illuminated at night with people walking between attractions.
A brightly lit lemonade stand at a nighttime carnival or fair.
Illuminated French fries concession stand with glowing signage at a nighttime fair.
Crowded carnival game booth under fluorescent lights at night.
Dark empty market hallway with overhead fluorescent lights creating perspective lines.
Colorful inflatable bounce houses and carnival rides illuminated against the night sky.
Red neon sign for The Great Darke County Fair glowing against a black night sky.
Dark silhouettes browse carnival game prizes in a dimly lit booth.
People walking along pathway outside fairground buildings at sunset.
Brightly lit carnival ride with colorful spinning arms against the night sky.
Empty carnival ride seats arranged in rows behind metal safety barriers.
Silhouetted figures stand in a dark corridor with light streaming in from the end.
Carnival tower with flags and stars silhouetted against blue sky at dusk.
Peanut vendor stand with bright red lettering and bags of peanuts at dusk.
Colorful Ferris wheel against bright blue sky with vibrant passenger cars visible.