On the 4th of July, there’s really nothing quite like a parade to lift one’s spirits. This morning, I took in two of them – the big annual Redwood City Parade – with lots of units and a huge crowd – and the smaller, home town version of a parade in Menlo Park – with lots of kids on bikes/tricks with silly/patriotic parents to guide them along. Both were a lot of fun.
I took my Canon 5D Mark II to both with the 70-200mm lens and mostly shot wide open in Aperture Priority at f/2.8, resulting in the blurred backgrounds that help make these portrait shots look so good. The photo above is the ukelele player for the Los Trancos Woods Community Marching Band – marching as they always do in the Redwood City parade. The photo below is a lucky curbside shot of a young boy as the Menlo Park Parade was about to begin.
Today’s also an important anniversary of sorts in my family – my Mom and Dad first met 68 years ago today!
Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July. Another day to remember that freedom is not free!