I don't often attend "theme" or amusement parks, but, when I do, I make sure that I'm packing a big, fast lens and a tripod. Well, forget the tripod at King's Island, near Cincinnati, Ohio. It used to be that King's Island allowed tripods, but today, forget about it. Yeah, like someone is really going to be smart enough to carry a long lens and a tripod and dumb enough to try and take them on a rollercoaster. Come-on people, get real! I had to return my tripod to the car and safely store it in the trunk, even though I offered to show them my PRESS CARD and explain that I was doing this article for Digital SLR Magazine. The security guard asked his supervisor, but, the guy was not going to budge. With tripod in car, I made my way through the gauntlet they call a gate. Oh, and before I forget... they also had to open my camera bag and search every pocket. They turned on my camera to make sure it was, in fact, a camera. They even looked into the lens barrel to make sure it was a lens. Once it was determined that I was not a terrorist, I was inside the park. Given the positive public relations that a nice article can bring to an amusement park, I'd think that King's Island would love to have a professional photographer taking pictures of the rides and other attractions. Evidently, they tolerate photographers rather than welcome them. With all of that said, on with the purpose of this article... taking pictures of rides and attractions. I entered the park with a Sigma 135-400mm APO DG lens on a Pentax *ist digital SLR body and a couple of one-gig cards and a 512 meg back-up card (just in case). I planned on shooting JPEG mode to get faster response from the camera. Some shots might require the faster write speeds that JPEG can give me. I was with a group of people and planned to get some shots of them on the rides, screaming their heads off. Shooting with a long lens, hand-held, is tricky. There were a few times that I tried supporting the lens on a fence, a tree, or even my son's shoulder, but, much of the time, I was shooting with no prop and expected very sketchy results. I was pleasantly suprised. The Sigma 135-400mm APO lens is quick and I was able to maintain high enough shutter speeds to keep everything in sharp focus. I was worried about that. I had to be steady even when panning to follow rollercoasters on their tracks or I'd never be able to use the images. My plan was to pick sections of the coaster where I could get a clear shot of people onboard. I wanted to freeze the action in some places and retain the look of speed in others. So, I observed the rides and took some shots around corners, in loops, and places were things slowed down a bit. Here are some samples (click them to see a larger size image):

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The left image is easy to catch providing you have a long enough lens and a good vantage point. This is the slow climb to the first big drop on this rollercoaster called the "Vortex". The middle shot is harder to capture since you have to start panning downward to keep everyone in focus. I wanted just a little motion blur to show the speed of this ride. The rails are in sharp focus. The cars and riders are a tiny bit blurry due to their downward plunge.

The right shot is one of those where you want to focus on the rails and wait for the cars to come into the loop. You have to be quick and it is easier to pan a little into the loop when possible. This twisting section of track does slow down the line considerably, so, getting a shot here is easier than it looks if you are "pre-focused" on the track.

There are lots of other rides at King's Island. Some of them are almost impossible to photograph from the outside. You have to meander around the park a bit to find the best angles to catch the action. Then, there are rides that move so fast that everyone will be a streak of color from any vantage point. One such ride is called "Drop Zone." Here are a couple of the easy shots you can get with a long lens.

Catching the action on "Drop Zone" is just about impossible. It is a simple drop and moves very fast until the bottom fourth of the vertical rise. Then, the machine eases you to its base. Watching people's reactions to the ride, I'd have to say it looks adventurous. Still, since I'm the guy with the camera, I have a great excuse for not riding that thing. Call me a land-lubber. Call me boring. Those brave enough to ride this thing were grinning from ear to ear when they took off their seatbelts and made their way to the next attraction.

Keep your eyes open when you are walking around any amusement park. There are always interesting photo opportunities that people miss because they are looking only at the rides. I took these next two shots while standing around waiting on my group to finish a ride.

Both of these shots would be "classic" additions to any photo gallery. They both have interesting structures, nice detail, good composition. The canvas behind the "Beast Canyon Cold Drinks" saloon is a deep green stand of trees, perfect contrast to the gray trim on the building's roof and upper deck. The shakes on the roof of the green shack have interesting color and texture. That shadow falling on the slat window also enhances the image. If I had not been observant, these two shots would never have been taken.

Shooting amusement park rides takes some time. You really want to find the best vantage point and watch the track for a couple of minutes before shooting. Make note of where the cars slow down a bit. Keep your eyes on the sun and look at the shadows. Don't shoot right into the sun or you'll be disappointed. If you can stand just outside a curve in the track or line up with the first big drop before it, you'll catch some wonderful facial expressions.

Don't forget... those rides are interesting all by themselves. If you don't shoot a few images of the track, itself, you might be missing a golden opportunity. Here are a couple of good examples from this trip.

By the way, I know that you'd never contemplate taking a tripod on a "ride" at King's Island, or any other amusement park. Watch out for little kids and other people that might trip over your tripod. The management of King's Island probably had the riders in mind when they made the rule of no tripods, but, it's good practice observing people around you when you are shooting. Your safety and theirs should come before any photo opportunity.