Electric Light Parade 12-2024

I have photographed the parade many times and will share what I have learned...I get to the staging area after sunset about 90 minutes before the parade starts to photograph the participants getting ready...the ambient light from the sky, floats and parking lot lights allows me to see details that get lost on the dark street when all you mostly see are the lights...the bands are warming up, a quick check on makeup, the baton twirlers are rehearsing, final touches to costumes, floats and a chance to have a quick snack...everyone excited and anxious to get started...the crowds along the parade route grow bigger each year and are getting harder to contain...some of the parade participants pass out candy, so children are all along the inner edge...a four lane street with center turning lane gets reduced to about two lanes...the larger floats have people walking in front and along side for safety...This is a very challenging event to photograph because it is so dark along areas of the parade route...it is one thing to photograph in a dark environment using a tripod and a long exposure as opposed to following a moving object and making sure the focus is sharp...modern cameras and editing software have made it much easier...I took 1400 photos in three hours and you get to see 150 selects.