And, the Band Played on and on and on…

As you know, I like working from the inside of second line parades.  In effect, I become a parade member. That means I am usually walking backwards in order to make these kinds of pictures. In many ways, it’s like being in the middle of a sporting activity.  Your timing has to be good. Your ability to back pedal has to be good. You have to see in all directions. You have to be able to take a hit. And, you must have a good sense of humor. Before I write much further, let me be clear. Nobody is being malicious if you get hit or stepped on. It’s just what happens. It’s a moving scrum. The people in the middle of it are focused on what they are doing. You will get thumped here and there. That’s why you must have a good sense of humor.

Really, this was just more testing of my new Sony camera. All the experts keep saying it’s not a good sports camera. Maybe not for something moving really quickly. But, for most sports, I think it’ll work pretty well. At least, for the moments between the lines. Of course, that implies the photographer has pretty good hand-eye coordination. That said, are these pictures sharp enough? Are they exposed properly?

I think so. I didn’t have to do much work in post production. These pictures are pretty much straight from Lightroom.

So the camera is pretty good from a technical standpoint. From a user standpoint it is great. It is small. Most people don’t take it all that seriously so I can move about as I need to. It is a little heavy for its size. It is a battery hog. And, it only comes in black. Oops. That’s an inside joke.

The pictures? Sunday’s second line parade in Central City. The parade was smallish. But, there were two brass bands and most of the paraders seemed to be having a good time even though it was pretty cold and foggy.