The Eastern Idaho State Fair wrapped up its 2024 run a few days ago. A good state fair isn't just fun to visit, it's filled with all sorts of photographic opportunities. Candid, street, documentary - pick a style and go for it. Regardless of what type of genre you consider to be your specialty, fairs can be great places to broaden horizons and inspire creativity via subject matter you don't normally capture.

I had two specific objectives this time around. First, the Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo. The Nikon Z8 is a beast when it comes to fast action photography but since I've owned mine there have been few opportunities to put the camera - and myself - through the paces when it comes to professional sporting events. The rodeo seemed tailor made for this.

Second, the midway: specifically, abstract interpretations of the rides in all their colorful illuminated glory. Just plain fun.

If you're primarily a nature and/or landscape photographer, you might be wondering how a sporting event is relevant to what you shoot. Consider birds in flight, or fast moving herd animals: the concepts are similar!

While I'd be photographing both events late in the day (from early evening to well after dark) and therefore in lower-light conditions, as far as the camera was concerned that was about the only thing they had in common.

I'll start with the rodeo. It happened to be kids' night, so not everything visually interesting involved speed. Some of it was just pure cuteness, like this:

Bronco busting was the event I was focused on: both with and without saddle, so there were two rounds.

Unlike, say, a tennis match, where you're following a single athlete whose movement - while quick - is somewhat predictable, in this case there are both the horse and the rider to consider, and the horse's movements once out of the gate can be a little harder to track.

Each ride lasts only eight seconds.

The lighting in the arena was a factor; not all night-time sporting events are created equally. As the sun was going down and before the lights were turned on, the lighting was poor. After the switch was flipped, the lighting was...still poor! Unsurprisingly, this wasn't exactly the quality of illumination you'd encounter at a night match on Arthur Ashe stadium at the U.S. Open.

That said, it created an excellent opportunity to push the camera. And myself.

I shot with the lens (Nikkor Z 100-400) wide open. In a normal fast-action sports situation, particularly when working during the day, I'd probably use a shutter speed in the neighborhood of 1/1000. In this case, the low light tied my hands somewhat. The Z8 has very good ISO sensitivity but I prefer to cap it at 12800 for sports, which by necessity impacted the speed at which I could shoot.

That said, the slower shutter was also a choice; I didn't want to completely freeze the action. Incorporating slight blur (in the chaps, the horse's mane and tail, and possibly the horse's rear feet) would underscore the explosive action. My range was generally between 1/500 and 1/800.

I set the camera on Matrix Metering, used a focus mode of AF-C, selected an AF-Area of Wide/Small, and utilized continuous burst. As for the autofocus subject selection, I was considering "Animals" but wondered if that might impact the way in which the cowboys would render. Because there was limited time and/or opportunity to experiment (Animals versus People versus Auto), I kept the Auto setting.

Compositions that include more than one athlete, like bronco busting, require careful scrutiny when processing. For example, in one frame the horse's position might be exceptional, but the cowboy's face is completely obscured. Extraneous background elements can be problematic (signs, lights, other people, etc.). Another reason continuous burst is so helpful in fast action photography.

If you're a landscape and nature photographer and your camera has custom settings, I recommend using one of them for sports photography. Or name it wildlife, if you prefer. Next time you're out in the field and encounter something unexpected - maybe you spy some bald eagles perched in their roost - rather than fumbling with menu options, you'll be able to quickly access the settings you'll need to try to photograph the birds if they take flight.

Consider taking advantage of any type of local sporting event at which you can practice. Look no further than the nearest high school: football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, gymnastics - all good opportunities. You'll thank yourself the next time you're in the field hoping to photograph wildlife.

From the rodeo it's on to the midway, where I am like a kid in a candy store. A wash of bright colors, abstracts, experimentation...what's not to like?

Of course the place is packed, but this is not a problem. Unless someone stops and remains stationary in your shot, they'll disappear from the frame.

Unlike the rodeo, where I was bumping up the ISO to enable high shutter speeds, these abstracts are at the other end of the spectrum. Here, I used a 70-200mm lens, chose an ISO of 64, and stopped way down. Shutter speeds were most often in the range of 2.5 to 3 seconds.

There are a few things to consider when making these types of images: many of the rides change position (up, down, and tilting); the rate of speed can vary; exposure and color temperature shifts when the colors change; when composing the shot, if including more than one ride, you must take into consideration the movement and characteristics of each of them; also when composing, you need to envision how the ride will render when it's moving.

These challenges are part of what makes this such a fun exercise.

As the Eastern Idaho State Fair ended, the Utah State Fair began. So tempting...