Choose Your Background - Fourth Of July Parade

This Giant Baby: This photo makes me chuckle. I suspect that he learned that when he saw somebody holding a camera, he was to face the camera and smile. So there I was, adjusting my composition to include the large American Flag in the background when into my frame walks my subject, posing perfectly. The photo is a reminder that perspective is distorted when there is no transition between the subject and the background. When coupled with the use of a wide angle lens, there is some visual disconnect. But I digress.

The Assignment: Redwood City has the largest Fourth of July parade of any city in California, or so the website says. I've photographed it several times, and for good reason. San Mateo County knows how to create a small town vibe writ large. Since I might be dong a lot of walking, I replaced my (heavy) fixed-aperture lenses with two lighter versions. I still had the zoom range without the  weight.

As I cut through a parking lot I noticed this 20' x 38' flag being held aloft by a hook and ladder truck from the Redwood City Fire Department. I could see people lining the streets, so I knew I was on parade route. I decided that the giant flag would make a wonderful backdrop so I went across the street to see if that would work. I hustled over to the opposite side of the street and turned to see what I had to work with. I chose a spot directly across from the flag so that when the wind blew, I would be viewing it head on.

As luck would have it, my widest lens setting was 18mm, which would give me the flag and the foreground, but only if I held my camera mere inches from the ground. If I attempted to shoot from a kneeling position, I would be blocking the view of the spectators behind me in the front row. If I wanted to shoot from this particular spot, I would have to lie down on my back in the street, and rolling over on my side to make the shot. I must have been a sight, lying on my back, using my camera bag as a pillow, I now had my background. Now I needed to populated my foreground. Cue the Giant Baby.

You can see from these attempts that the photo had many moving parts: The disposition of the flag, the size of subject, and its distance from the camera. These three were rejected because of subject size, poor flag orientation, and the subject being too big and too close. But you have to keep shooting, hoping you'll get a break.

The Break: The break came with the arrival of the San Mateo County Mounted Patrol. With three horses walking abreast, the were spread out and therefore closer to my shoot position. Also, the horses were large enough to be recognizable. And finally, the wind cooperated so the flag was open enough to be recognizable. 

The grabbed composition was fortunate, as the entire ladder, visible on the right, informs the viewer on how the flag was supported. It also created a triangle that completely enclosed the visual elements to create a very static composition.

All in all, the photo was one of those lucky accidents when I properly positioned at just the right moment, and with the help of a cooperative wind, made the shot.