How To Photograph a Parade - Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year’s Parade in Chinatown, Vancouver
After a two-year break, the Lunar New Year’s Parade was back in Vancouver on January 22, 2023. We attended the parade in Hong Kong back in 2017 but never did see the parade here in Vancouver.
As we neared Chinatown the crowds thickened and we kept walking past the main starting point and found a good spot on Keefer Street and lined up next to two other photographers.
There was a festive mood in the crowds and participants and everyone wished each other a happy new year. It was especially wonderful to see the children dressed in traditional costumes and partaking in the parade.
I struck up a nice conversation with the two other photographers. Jim is a Nikon Z9 shooter and Lois is a Fujifilm shooter like myself. We discussed the challenges of covering events such as parades where you have a seemingly endless line of topics to photograph.
The Challenges of Covering a Parade
I made a comment to Jim and Lois that I actually found these types of parades hard to cover unless you try to think outside the box. The fact that the topics literally line up repeatedly right before your eyes makes it almost too easy and you often fall into a trap of taking photos that are cliche.
Remember that is okay if you just want a few snapshots for yourself.
But what if you want to dig a bit deeper and try to capture the essence or mood of an event or parade or images that are meaningful to you?
One of the solutions is to get close to the action and another is to take lots of photos. If you are allowed to move around freely that is a huge advantage but often you are restricted to a certain spot for longer periods of time.
Various Ways of Covering an Event/Parade
There were countless photographers out for this event and I hope it’s okay to relay what I observed with the three photographers who met as we each picked a different approach.
Jim mostly covered the event with longer telephoto lenses when he wasn’t able to move around but prior to the event he walked the starting area with a couple of shorter lenses and I assume he captured more intimate shots this way.
Lois covered the event with two Fujifilm cameras, an X-E2 with a 75mm equivalent lens and the X100V with an equivalent 35mm lens. I loved seeing him work as he passionately was active on his feet, moved around, and got very close to the action.
I brought two cameras, the Fujifilm GFX 50R with the GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR and my X-Pro3 with an XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR. This gave me a moderate wide-angle 40mm equivalent on the GFX and a 50mm equivalent on the X-Pro camera.
The max. f/1.4 f-stop allowed me to shoot with a shallow depth of field and aided me in separating my topics from the background.
I mostly stayed put in one spot and changed my vantage point at times by kneeling down for a lower angle. I did move around a bit when security would allow it.
Vancouver Police Department motor cycles at the parade
Fujifilm GFX 50R, GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR @ f/5.6
I mention the three methods of covering this event because I believe they all work. Depending on what gear you have you can work things to your advantage. I was not assigned to cover this event. If I was I probably would have carried another lens or two allowing me to deliver a variety of looks in my images.
On the other hand, too much gear can also weigh you down and slow you down. Using a couple of f/2.8 zoom lenses would certainly be an excellent option although I tend to favor prime lenses. Having two cameras eliminates having to constantly switch lenses. I would also have been way more mobile in trying to capture the parade from as many angles as possible.
Tips for Covering an Event/Parade
Prep your gear. Have batteries charged and clear your memory cards.
Know your gear and your favorite shooting modes. I cover an event such as this using Auto ISO with a minimum allowed shutter speed of 1/250s shooting in aperture priority mode.
Bring snacks and a thermos with hot water (this was a winter event).
If you have room bring a soft pad and or a small chair for sitting. Often you may be stuck in the same spot for a long period of time depending on the event.
Try to cover the event from as many angles as you can within the allowed perimeters. It’s not worth it to cross security lines or climb up various objects.
Shoot several frames of key moments in order to capture the “decisive moment”.
Do not chimp when the key moment happens. You will miss something :)
Spectators a the Lunar New Year’s Parade in Chinatown, Vancouver
Fujfilm X-Pro3, XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR @ f/1.4
I hope some of these tips will help you for your next event or parade. If you have any questions for me do not hesitate to post them below.
The photos in this post are made using the following photography gear and editing tools.
Links to my reviews:
Fujifilm GFX 50R
Fujifilm GF 50mm f/3.5 R LM WR
Fujifilm X-Pro3
Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR
Fujifilm Film Simulation
