Lunar New Year | 2024

Photography

Feb 20

Year of the dragon

I have to remind myself in the future that light drizzles can be ideal conditions for a parade.

For the Lunar New Year parade there weren’t many umbrellas — I’m guessing most folks were willing to risk the wetness rather than be inconvenienced by carrying an awkward accessory — so you had space to watch along the sidewalks.

It also kept the crowd to a more manageable size and it was easier to mill about; though for me the other factor to consider this year was that I actually looked up the parade route instead of just stumbling and parking myself into the busiest section of the viewing area.

The last time I went to this parade was in 2018, but I had seen the dancing dragons throughout town during passing years, so it hadn’t felt like it had been as long as it actually had.

This year’s parade was also a last minute decision for me since the weather looked a little suspicious, and I am a little leery to let my camera be tested by the elements, even though it is weather sealed. But since it was so mild out in early February and it had been so long I decided to chance it.

The thing I enjoyed most about this year’s parade was being able to move about the sidewalk and reposition myself.

In 2018 I was glued to the same spot and I don’t know if that was by my choice or the crowd.

I find I need to remind myself that in order to get more dynamic photos I need to move around. It also happens to the the reason why I prefer using a prime lens because even though the focal length is limited it forces me to be more intentional about my framing and not to overly rely on varying degrees of zooming in and out.