State Fair of Virginia
lifestyle
What originally started as a conversation with Kira Siddall about gaining access for a portrait project quickly turned into a multi-year commission for which I was asked to shoot a little bit of everything - from real people, to staged talent, food, rides, and plenty of animals - art directed by Siddall stalwarts Carolyn McGeorge and Shari Hindman. Different themes or points of focus were emphasized depending on the year; the Blue Ribbon Craft Beer Fest, Virginia Agriculture, the Midway. We even shot several iterations of a character the agency dubbed "thirsty, hungry guy." The Client licensed select images for use in everything from social media to billboards and print. Taken together I like to think we created a nice little body of work that conveys the essence of the Fair.
Production ran the gamut from carrying two cameras solo, hitching golf-cart rides with agency or event staffers around the sprawling grounds, to hiring an assistant and professional talent to capture specific, pre-planned scenarios. Giving me free reign around the park wasn't without incident, though. Apparently I threw a pig race when a frontrunner stopped in his tracks, startled by the photographer lying on the ground just outside the fence at the final turn!