I was in the Bay Area over the week-end and took the opportunity to shoot the parade. It was wild and alot of fun.
I shot with a D200 and mainly the 105 AF/DC 2.0 set to aperture priority f3.2, rear focus set at f2, ISO 400. Shutter speeds bounced around 1000-4000sec. A 17-55 2.8 was used for the wides. Shot around 350 images with around 80 keepers. These are from jpg, yet shot raw+jpg.
Resizing has taken its toll but the originals are tight.
A real "eye opening" event if you have never seen one in person.
Always memorable and fun.
Truly a SF original.
Full of characters, costumes, good "party" spirit, humor and sometimes politics.
One of the things that I think really separates this from many parades is the way the people IN the parade are having a great time. That becomes infectious and then the audience/viewers get with it too. Makes for a very festive atmosphere regardless of sexual orientation. I have seen tourists, grandmothers, kids, and adults of all kinds enjoy watching this parade. And sometimes overheard comments like: "That would never be seen in Topeka!" or "I have NEVER!!!"
Thanks for posting these, brought a laugh and smile to my face.
Bob, this looks like too much fun .... it would be interesting to see more of the banners they were displaying. Your set is a good tool for mind opening. Let's hope it works for everyone
I enjoy the costumes, and I have no objection to sexual preferences, but I can see where the origin of the term "queer" came from. Some of them are definitely queer to the point of hilarity.
oh man... that hot pink bike is soooo awesome!!! haha. always wanted to go to one of these parades. lovefest is a blast too!! great colors captured. without that... photos of pride parades would do no justice to the actual event. well done : )
