Small Town Parade

Smithfield Virginia Annual Christmas Parade (click to enlarge)
All photos X-T2, 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ either 16 or 55mm; Aperture Priority @ f/8; ISO 800;  All from JPEGS

A few days ago I wrote a post about not allowing yourself to fall into the winter photographic doldrums.  You can read it here.

Saturday, I did exactly that.  I went out to photograph something I normally don't photograph, just to keep active and photographically energized.  I drove over to Smithfield Virginia to photograph their annual Christmas Parade.

Smithfield is about a 30 minute drive from my home and is known for Smithfield Foods, a giant pork conglomerate, now owned by a Chinese company.  It is a quaint lovely, little town with a population of about 8100 people.

I arrived about an hour early so as to claim a prime spot where my photographic view would not be blocked by other onlookers.  The parade was set to proceed down Main St.

I will admit I was reluctant to go, since it was just below 40 degrees F (4 degrees C), fog thickening and thinning, mist abounding and a wind that seemed to pierce my coat like a stiletto with the damp, cold air.  As I waited for the parade to begin, I thought to myself that I could be in my nice, warm home! But I stayed, endured the cold and wind and persevered.  (I'm making more of a big deal out of this than I should since others face much worse conditions without complaint!  But it makes the story a bit more interesting.) 

Seriously, it was cold and I didn't have on a coat that was heavy enough and, as I said, I felt it.

The parade started.  There was little room for me to move for different angles and different views as many other cold people huddled together and lined the small Main St.  I decided rather than try to move around, I would just stay put and vary my focal length and composition from one spot.

I found it not only interesting to watch and photograph a Christmas parade in a small American town, but the tradition itself is a throwback to how this country used to be. Almost every American town had their parades—Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Fourth of July, Christmas—and I appreciat the town officials and people of Smithfield keeping that tradition alive.  As much division we have here in America, I saw none.  Everyone was happy and celebrated the occasion.

I'm posting only a few images and hope you find them interesting as well.  Again, the conditions were less than optimal with the fog coming and going with heavy overcast.  I set my ISO at 800, which the Fuji X-T2 handles with ease, aperture priority at f/8, focus on multi-point then just composed and pressed the shutter as the participants passed by. I wanted to keep it simple so I could experience the parade.

As I mentioned, there really was no way to move around and gain a different perspective, but that was okay. When not actually photographing, I was just enjoying the moment.

All in all, it was fun to see all the smiles and Christmas cheer that abounded throughout the town.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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