My fascination with empty places was well sated this past weekend. En route to a return visit to the Georgia Guidestones, I spotted the Elbert 12 County Fair grounds and had to make a stop.
It was a little visual shooting exercise, one I’ll share a bit here. I thought I knew what image I wanted but it wasn’t right – the following images show how I worked my way into a final image.
1. From the parking lot, a good distance out to give a sense of location. I like the abandoned feel, balancing it with a centered composition.
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4402453818_21b20bcf7b_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
2. Decided to give it more blue sky – it was such a great sky.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4402453980_c143196b7a_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
3. The broken pavement was saying … something. I don’t know what, so I gave it some more prominence.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4401689345_883950e9f8_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
4. But then that sky called again …
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4402454244_42907431de_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 35 mm f/1.4 L USM, ISO 100, 1/8000, f/2.0
5. I wanted to get in closer, but the ticket stand was in the way. I drove my truck right up in front of the stand and climbed up into the bed.
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/4401689985_0bf7de57ba_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/4.5
6. Almost there. But the debris around the edges … top of the roof, power lines … I hate edge debris. So I got up just a little higher (standing on the side walls of the bed of the truck) and got off one last frame …
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4401690069_dae700820d_o.jpg)
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 16-35 mm f/2.8 L USM, ISO 100, 1/320, f/10
And when I showed the images that evening, one of my heroes said he liked the first one the best. Oh, well – was a fun little shoot. And now I want to know when the Elberton 12 County Fair is and try this at night.