Dance Parade

This year the Dance Parade was awesome! Especially since I got a press pass and I could walk alongside the dancers. Once again, I had a hard time choosing between two lenses: the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and the Canon EF 300mm f/4L. It was a lot easier to take the photos with the Sigma but soon after the parade started I switched to Canon.  

Before the parade started I had some great opportunities to photograph the preparations: practicing, assembling gear and resting. The huge frog vehicle was a must for me. It came inside a yellow truck and they needed almost ten men to carry it out from there. The place was surrounded with some more interesting looking vehicles: a wolf like bike, two giants ponies, a purple bus and a furry little green car.

The scene was very colorful and festive, As soon as the ribbon cutting ceremony was over, the parade started marching on Broadway and 21st. I caught this cute girl popping her head out from the bus's window and went to look for my favorite act.

During the preparations I saw a Japanese act of two girls covered with the cherry blossom, hanging out with a golden man. They were fantastic and I immediately declared them as my favorites. Although I have been twice to the Sakura Matsuri festival I have never seen anything like it before.

Another one of my favorites was a pink-haired girl riding on a gigantic "My Little Pony". The pony was so big that I had a hard time capturing all of it. Finally, I snapped a photo with my cellphone.

As for real animals, at the beginning of the parade, I saw Oswaldo Gomez, also known as Ms. Colombia, with her African grey parrot named Rosita. Also, I saw two dogs walking in the parade, one of them was a Chihuahua named "Little One". I was told that Little One never missed a dance parade in the city.

The parade was fun as well as exhausting. By the end of it I could barely walk let alone carry my 300mm lens. I packed everything, took the city bike and headed to recharge myself at Shake Shack. See you all at the next Dance Parade :) 

Holi Hai

Spring in the city means not only blossom, warm weather and the change of wardrobe, but also the arrival of festivals, many different, colorful festivals. From Sakura Matsuri that celebrates the cherry blossom and the beginning of spring to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Holi Hai is one of those festivals and it is a celebration of colors.

Yes! People of all ages buy colors made from natural ingredients and throw them at each other. The event is free but in order to transform to a walking-rainbow, buying colors is a must. The colors were sold at the event and one could either stand in a huge line at the entrance or immediately buy some colors near the stage. Obviously, like all good New Yorkers, most people preferred to stand in line.

I was worried that the color powder that is thrown up in the air will harm my camera, so I wrapped my camera with waterproof bag. I knew that people in this festival usually wear white shirts so I wore a black shirt to signal that I'm not interested in the rainbow transformation.

The performances on stage got the full attention of the crowd and I found a perfect spot on a bench near the stage. I focused on photographing interesting and colorful people in the crowd. My main challenges were the bright sun and finding a clear, unobstructed view. Although I used two lenses - Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and Canon EF 300mm f/4L, my best photos from the event were all taken with the 300mm.

At the end I did get dirty, my shirt and my backpack got some unavoidable colorful patches. Surprisingly, the best thing at this festival was not the colors but the people; they were happy, joyful and welcoming and I enjoyed spending time with them!

Sakura Matsuri

The first day of spring was snowy and the cold weather refused to go away. However, today we were out to celebrate spring in all its glory! Alex and I went to the cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This is my second time at the blossom festival, so I was not surprised to also see the celebration of the Japanese culture.  

To me, the main attraction of this festival, other than the flowers, is the cosplay-clad attendees. Whenever I think no one can surprise me, I get blown away by people commitment to dressing up. 

From a women with horns, red eyes, vampire teeth and a dragon on her shoulder to a man riding on a smiling unicorn. All the colors and the people, it was almost epileptic.

For photographing people this is one of the best event in the city, as most of the attendees will cooperate and pose for the camera. For flowers however, this is not the best time for a photo-shoot as the place is packed with people. 

The best time to photograph the flowers is in the middle of the week, when the gardens are almost completely empty.