How many of you went to a 4th of July parade this year? I suppose if you don’t live in the United States the odds are slim that you did, but if you live over here maybe you got to enjoy some patriotism on wheels! Or hooves as the case may be.
I was extra lucky. I was in the South, on a lake that just happens to have some very patriotic water lovers. Every July on the 4th a huge community of jet skies and boats circles part of the lake at full speed.
This year I got to shoot images of them as they went by. It was a big group, probably more than a hundred total.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
First there was the gathering of everyone. The waiting for the prompt 10:00 a.m. start. The chatting with friends. The smiles. The admiring of costumes and decorations.
The increased anxiety for me.
You see we had been out on the lake the day before, talking to friends, telling them I’d be out there shooting. We told them to look for us and come by as close as they could.
We told them to smile.
I hoped I wouldn’t let them down. I’d be sitting in a boat moving up and down over choppy waters. They’d be out in the middle of the chop, moving fast across my bow.
Anything could happen.
It was a beautiful day, bright blue skies, puffy white clouds, beautiful water. Perfect for a parade.
At two minutes to ten they took off. We high-tailed it to the other side of the lake and a particular point near where we planned on anchoring.
They’d have to go around us.
I was as ready as I could be. Extra batteries. Extra memory chips. And advice on shooting action shots from my friend Heather, aka Snap Happy Gal who does phenomenal work. You should visit her web site.
How did it turn out? Well, it was a blast. Here’s a slideshow of some of my favorite shots.
It was a perfect parade. I didn’t notice the waves much while I was shooting. But when I took the camera away from my face and saw the waves heading toward me I sort of freaked. They looked at least 3 feet tall! They looked like they’d swamp the boat! I scrambled toward the back of the boat a couple of times, but we stayed sea-worthy.
It was an honor to photograph these people enjoying their holiday. I especially liked to capture the families that were riding the waves together. My brother has posted some of these photos to a lake Facebook page. I will post more soon.
I hope you enjoyed my representation of a 4th of July lake parade. But honestly? You should have been there.
July 12, 2017 at 8:26 am
Your photos are wonderful, Dawn. I need to practice taking action shots…that are not blurry!
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July 12, 2017 at 8:18 pm
We went out on two different days prior to the parade to practice. Brother drove the boat around and I ‘stalked’ wave runners. Turned out that just made me more nervous because most of those were not great! 🙂
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July 12, 2017 at 9:14 am
I’ve seen 4th of July parades, but never a boat parade. How much fun!
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July 12, 2017 at 8:18 pm
It was a lot of fun!
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July 12, 2017 at 9:18 am
You have some great talent with that camera! Nicely done!
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July 12, 2017 at 8:19 pm
Thank you Maggie. I had to straighten the ‘horizon’ on almost all of them. The boat I was in was bouncing so bad, and they were bouncing out there too. Plus there was no time to compose a shot and make sure the water was level. Still, I’m pleased with most of them.
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July 12, 2017 at 9:25 am
What fun! You got some great shots. My favorite is the guy in yellow on a red jet ski with a large flag on the back waving through a huge spray of water. It really captures the action and fun of the event.
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July 12, 2017 at 9:32 am
That’s my favorite too.
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July 12, 2017 at 10:02 am
Sure looks like fun
Lily & Edward
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July 12, 2017 at 8:19 pm
It WAS fun!
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July 12, 2017 at 10:13 am
What great photos you snapped, Dawn! I can feel the coolness even from here (where it’s supposed to top 93 degrees today, ugh!) I’ve never seen a Fourth of July water parade, but it looks like an interesting concept. Why not enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer?!?
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July 12, 2017 at 8:20 pm
It was a perfect day! And I always love being out on the water.
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July 12, 2017 at 12:50 pm
You did a great job, despite roiling waters! Can’t think of a better way to spend a hot July holiday than out on the water.
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July 12, 2017 at 8:21 pm
The water was definitely roiling. I get a bit of a seasick feeling just scrolling through the photos.
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July 12, 2017 at 3:15 pm
wow how wonderful! love the photos- could almost feel the waves!
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July 12, 2017 at 8:21 pm
I can still feel the waves. In fact I told my brother late that night that I still felt like I was rocking, hours after getting off the boat.
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July 12, 2017 at 9:58 pm
great job capturing the joy of the day! reminds me of 4th of july at Wiers Beach on Lake Winnipesaukee, Winn’s namesake. Many boats on parade and then fireworks shot over us as we watched from my dad’s boat. 🙂
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July 13, 2017 at 7:59 am
Enjoyed your slideshow! That is the best kind of a parade… on the water!
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