Elizabeth and I were driving down Haywood Road in Greenville on the way to meet up with the lovely Kimmiepie, when what did we see before our eyes? A carnival, right in the middle of the mall parking lot. I must admit, it was kind of odd to see a giant ferris wheel loom across the night sky on the side of a busy street, but it was there all the same. So, after eating a delicious dinner of Thai food and tea, we drove back down to check it out.

Carnivals are such an odd animal with so many contradictions.  Yet they hold a certain magic within them that attracts one and all to their brightly-lit bonanza of garish lighting, fried food, carnival workers, and potential death at every fun ride door. 🙂  Where else in America…heck, the world…. could you find a stick of deep-fried butter, and be okay eating it? I’ve never tried it… I just don’t have the guts, but I know people who have. Those lights, no matter how tacky, are beautiful in the way they reflect off the stainless steel and pavement, and there’s a certain comfort that you can always fit in at a carnival, no matter what age you are…..

We had to pull the camera out and do a photo shoot at 11 o’clock at night…. it was a necessity. 🙂 Enjoy!

 

Elizabeth pointed out all these little boys on the swing… ALL dressed in orange…

I had to take a picture of the strung-up animals on a chain…and thought of the interesting images we are subjected to as children. Morbid, no? But a part of a day at the carnival nonetheless… and I love it!  And I nearly tore one of the giant stuffed Dexters off the shelf – but I took a picture of them instead. It made me feel better that they didn’t look exactly like Dexter, because they had blue eyes, and Dexter has those soulful brown ones. But still..I really wanted to run away with one. Good thing I”ve got the real thing at home 😉

These little boys in the matching outfits were just tooooo adorable….

This little girl spinned around and around forever on this thing…

I am in love with the next series of photos with the carousel:

I couldn’t decide which one I liked better… I love them both… both the black and white and color version have their own enchantment….

Which do you notice first? The cute little baby, or the freaky stare from the ticket lady?

In LOVE with the next photo:

Liz, you’re just too beautiful for words… both inside and out. I love you.

 

If you like this article, I encourage you to share it via Twitter or Facebook! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts through your comments below.
South Carolina Wedding Photographer, Portrait Photographer and Boudoir Photographer
For more creative and interesting photography, please visit http://www.stephaniesnyderphotography.com!