The screams can be heard in every direction, cutting through the August night air already saturated with the smells of cotton candy, corn dogs and popcorn. The amusement park at the Western Idaho Fair was in full swing over a month ago when I decided to try some time-lapse photography.

I set up a tripod in a spot that seemed out of the way, yet close enough to the action that I could spend a couple of hours without moving my camera. After a few tests I decided to make a series of one-second exposures every five seconds. One second is long enough to show motion blur from the neon-clad carnival rides yet still quick enough to freeze people standing in place.

That’s what I did — stood in one place for two hours. It was tiring, but the time was filled with occasional questions from curious people as they passed by my camera. I watched groups of giggling teenagers dart through the crowd enjoying the night with friends. I saw couples walking slowly with carnival prizes tucked under their arms, holding hands and smiling. I smiled at the parents with parked strollers waving each time their children zoomed by on the carousel.

At the end of the two hours I discovered one unanticipated problem—dust. Kicked up by the crowd as people walked by, dust now covered my camera and the protective lens filter. The resulting video, viewable at IdahoStatesman.com, is slightly tinged, but interesting none-theless.

Darin Oswald: 377-6434