... ride through Sturgis. Why? It really is an interesting event. I guess I am just fascinated with all kinds of two-wheel conveyances, and this is the place to gawk.
I rode up, parked the bike on Main Street, walked around, had some lunch with a view of the sidewalk (interesting people-watching), walked some more, bought another T-shirt, looked at what I'd consider a small crowd gathered for the "official noon Main Street photo"... even though the number of people here is huge (haven't heard any estimates, yet), they don't seem to gather like they used to for that noon photo.
We had an up-close and personal view of that experience, because we shot the photo, processed the film, started making prints, and had hundreds of 8x10s on their way back to Sturgis in about an hour and a half. And then continued making more through that afternoon. Of course, this was before digital imaging was good, and no one had a phone with a camera in it, and people wanted actual photos as a keepsake... not something they could view on a phone. At our studio in Spearfish, we had the fastest and largest photo paper processor (and automated printing equipment) in the Black Hills. Ah, yes, those days are gone, too.
At the photo tower on Main Street, they charge $5 for you to go up and take photos from that vantage point. Not much need to buy a photograph these days. Yet, there are still some people that gather in front of the photo tower before noon so they can be in that "official" photo.
The crowd today seemed significantly bigger than when I was there on Saturday... just a seat of the pants guesstimate. Still, it was easy to get around, since it wasn't "gridlock" on the sidewalks.
Of course, I did shoot some video, and I'll probably spend some time this evening working on it. Here's a preview photo of the crowd by the photo tower...
That's a small crowd? I am standing less than a half block from the tower, and that is as far back as the crowd went. Back in the day (damn, Jim, how old are you to even use that saying??), the crowd would extend a couple blocks, including the sidewalks... they were using a bullhorn today, telling people, "If you are standing on the sidewalk on either side, you will not be in the photo." I used to shoot this with a Hasselblad SuperWide C (approximate field of view similar to an 18mm lens on a 35mm camera). For those keeping track, not nearly as wide as most action cameras these days.
More to come.
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