The Wallenda's 7 Man Pyramid

The "Greatest Show on Earth" continues as we go inside the "Big Top" to photograph the great Wallenda families 7 person pyramid on the high wire.  First of all, we should congratulate the unbelievably talented Wallenda family, led by Nik Wallenda for this amazing artistry on the high wire. From my previous post you read about his walk between the Ritz Carlton and One Watergate in Sarasota FL on February 4th.  The "Circus Sarasota" event is even more amazing as a number of family members participate in this incredible feat.  So how do we  photograph in the "Big Top"!! We don't have much light to begin with, we can't use a flash (you would need one the size of a small car), so what is the procedure here. You need to again look at your ISO, you want the camera to absorb as much light as possible. You will need a lens that will let in as much light as possible. Remember light is the element that you "paint the canvas" with, so in low light conditions, you will need as much as you can get!!  I took this photo with an ISO of 800, my 55 to 200mm zoom lens set at 60th of second and a F/stop of F4.  I would have preferred a lens of 70 to 200mm with a f2.8 or better lens aperture opening, again one of those lens on my wish list.  And of course, the most important thing was I used a tripod, there were moments that I set the shutter speed down to 40th of a second with some amazing results.  If you go out and experiment with settings you could easily be getting great shots of the "high wire"act in your town!!  It's a bit harder than you think, but remember if you experiment with your camera, adjust the aperture and shutter speed. The time it takes to get across the "high wire" is a slow process, think the same way with your shutter release. When there is a momentary pause in the act, release the shutter. Your subject is still for that split second, which is enough time for you to get a great shot! This applies in low light, dark background photo environments.  Have fun and enjoy your shoot in the "Big Top"!! By the if your in Sarasota between Feb 12 and 28th I would encourage you to check out Circus Sarasota!