Night lights at the Maryland State Fair
Long exposures make the fair crowds disappear.
Photos and text by Caitlin Faw
Thousands of people flock to the Maryland State Fair in Timonium at the end of summer. Many of these attendees make their way to the fairgrounds at night — when the hot summer air cools slightly and the colorful glow of carnival rides and funnel cake stands light up Baltimore County.
Capturing long exposures of the State Fair at night, the LED lights of the carnival rides blur and create streams of vibrant colors. The crowd blurs too — figures become anonymous spirits passing through the scene. These transparent apparitions walk through the frame, sit for a moment with the prizes they’ve collected, and watch their friends and family members take turns on the Super Nova and the Starship 4000 carnival rides.
In these images, the multitudes pass through the fairgrounds as one nameless mass giving the scene an eerie mood that contrasts the festive colors of the rides.
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