Carnival: capturing all the fun of the fair across the US – in pictures
Between 1982 and 2001, the American photographer Mark Steinmetz travelled across the US recording life at country fairs, urban street fairs and small circuses.
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‘These photos were made in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Iowa and Georgia between 1982 and 2001 at country fairs, urban street fairs, and small circuses,’ said Mark Steinmetz, a photographer from Athens, Georgia.The new book Carnival, published by STANLEY/BARKER is out now
Photograph: Mark Steinmetz
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‘People from all walks of life go to the fair seeking something to transport them from the everyday’
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‘Amid the excitement and sounds of the rides and games, I could slip by largely unnoticed and capture gestures and faces’
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‘I photographed families with young children, teenagers out on their own, and the carnies. There are quite a few photographs of young couples in Carnival’
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‘Photographers, such as Diane Arbus, have photographed at circuses, but I’m not aware of a large sustained body of work made at fairs’
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‘The very best photographs of fairs are probably those made in Paris by Atget and Brassai in the 20s and 30s
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‘Carnivals look pretty much the same today as they have for the past 35 years. All that has really changed are prices and styles’
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‘Many of the photographs were made with a 35mm Leica, but other medium format cameras were used as well’
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‘The book begins in daylight, with people outside the fair, and ends with a night sequence’
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‘My parents gave me my first camera when I was perhaps six years old. I remember coming home from a trip with my family, getting out of the car and deciding to photograph my house’
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‘Some people can work inside but I have a need to be outside, to watch the weather and observe the light at different times of day. I love to describe this place and this time, my contemporaries and my civilisation’
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