The Carousel - Capturing the emotion

Anticipation

Saturday, August 23, 2025, waiting at the tables outside the historic carousel on the east end of the Santa Monica Pier. I walked inside with no expectations, as I usually don’t get much from this location—people too far away, kids guarded, just another shot. But this day was different. Things just fell into place, and the anticipation of the kids waiting to ride the carousel was, well, palpable.

I was sporting my new FujiFilm GFX100RF medium format camera, and perhaps it was the perspective of its 35mm lens on that big sensor that provided the difference. Not sure, but it worked. Here are a couple of other takes that I think capture the scene, but not the emotion of looking through those bars.