The day of this year’s Keene pumpkin festival was showery and I couldn’t make up my mind whether I’d go or not. Finally as it got dark I threw caution to the wind, grabbed my camera, and out the door I went. After all, how could I possibly resist the lure of taking photos in the dark while being pushed, elbowed, and stepped on in a herd of 80,000 people, 1,000 of whom wanted to take a photo of the same pumpkin that I had my lens trained on? Opportunities like those only happen once each year.
Before I get ahead of myself I should warn all of you that this post is even more photo heavy than usual, but I’ll try to make up for that by keeping the chatter down to a minimum. Also, those photos won’t be the sharpest you’ve seen because they were all taken hand held. I’ve seen what can happen to someone why dares to set up a tripod in the dark amidst crowds like these, so I left mine at home.
I’ll start with a witch because they were popular with the pumpkin carvers and I saw them everywhere.
I saw only one or two ghouls. This was a great example, I thought. I call him one eyed Jack.
It wouldn’t be Halloween without skulls, and I saw plenty. The design and carving were especially well done on this one.
You’ve got to have vampires, and this was the best one I saw. There is amazing talent on display at these festivals, and that’s really what draws me to them.
Last year Keene took back the Guinness world record for the most lit Jack O lanterns with 30,581of them but this year the count was down because of the rain and lack of challengers. Still, I think there were over 20,000 counted. This photo is of the pumpkin tower. Several of these towers used to line Main Street but the organizers worried that they might tip over onto the crowd, so these days there is only one, and it is well rigged so it can’t tip. The giant pumpkin on top weighed 950 pounds before it was carved, and had to be placed there by crane. I forgot to get a close up shot of it.
There was live music in the gazebo.
There were mischievous pumpkins.
And there were laid back pumpkins.
There were familiar faces, like spider man.
Cookie monster was there, complete with cookies that looked mighty tasty.
I’m not sure what this one was about but he was riding one of the Civil War cannons in the town common and waving to everyone who passed by.
You had to look closely at this one to really see all that was going on. What a lot of work!
This one had swallowed another. I think.
I didn’t see the forks with this one until I saw the photo. Nice touch!
This one still has me wondering how it was done. It’s a great optical illusion.
I think this person should have won the prize for most talented carver for their rendition of The Birth of Venus. The original oil was done in Florence, Italy in 1485 by Sandro Botechelli.
In the end it’s all about having some fun, and these two clearly were.
That’s it for this year. I hope everyone has a happy Halloween!
Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen
Thanks for coming by.
We don’t really do Halloween in the same way as you do. Loved all the carved pumpkins and I’m glad you managed not to get trampled.
All of those pumpkins together is quite a sight. As long as you stay on your feet you don’t get trampled!
Wow, you’ve got some very talented pumpkin carvers around Keene. Love the ghoul, the gorilla, Venus, and the pumpkin-eating pumpkin.
I agree, they are vey talented. A lot of work went into them!
Well, as you know I’ve been waiting for this post and I am not disappointed! What an amazing assortment of pumpkins! Glad you braved the rain and the zillions of other people all aiming for the same shot.
And I agree with you about that carved pumpkin rendition of The Birth of Venus. having sat on a bench in the Uffizi in Florence, staring at the BOV and La Primavera for long periods, I can attest to wanting to stare at that carved pumpkin in awe– as I did.
Thank you for a wonder-filled post.
You’re welcome Cynthia, I’m glad it was worth the wait! You’re very lucky to have seen the original Birth of Venus.
These are great! Excellent camera work under those circumstances!
Thanks Montucky! It can be challenging. I can never remember the camera settings from one year to the next so I have to start out with a lot of test shots.
Well worth being pushed about a bit.
I thought so too.
A really fabulous display of skillful carving. I would never have thought that a little candle shining out of a pumpkin would come out so well in a photograph.
It was amazing to see, Clare. If you notice you really can’t see the actual candle flame in any of these photos because it’s so bright at night that the camera just can’t handle it. It’s like a spotlight and I have to be aware of that when I take the photo and make sure the flame is hidden behind the pumpkin flesh.
Love the creativity that comes out at community festivals and events like this…Great photos.
Thank you Charlie. It really is amazing to see all of this artwork gathered up in one place. You think you’ve seen the best there is and then you look right or left and see something even more remarkable.
The artistry that goes into these fleetingly amazing works of art ever amaze me 🙂
I agree, Morgan. These pumpkin carvers really deserve a pat on the back for doing all of this work to make the rest of us smile for just one night each year.
I read about the “disturbances” at this year’s festival, and wondered if you had gotten caught up in them, glad you’re okay! It’s a shame that some people have to ruin a great thing like this, a lot of creative people worked hard to show off their talents, some of the pumpkins are works of art. Your photos are great, night photography isn’t easy, especially in a crowd.
Thanks Jerry. I can’t think of much that is more challenging than taking pictures in the dark. The light from a tiny candle can seem as bright as a searchlight.
If you were at the actual festival you couldn’t tell that anything was going on at all. The college is far enough away so what happens there is pretty much out of sight, despite what the news outlets say. I was surprised to hear about it the next day, and I was right there.
Great shots of a wonderful family event in a beautiful NH town. I’m glad to read a positive article about it, and I’ll leave it at that because I don’t want to give press to the other faction. 🙂
Thank you Judy. That’s why I didn’t mention the childish display at the college. Give them publicity and they’re liable to just do it all over again.
What a fantastic post – remember last years’. These carvings are incredible, skill – talent and the best of imaginations!
Thank you Mary. I agree, there is a lot of talent on display here. Too bad they don’t all take up wood carving. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them went far as artists.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
We don’t ‘celebrate’ Halloween .. but we do celebrate Autumn, the colors, the cleansing energy etc. Namaste
Thank you Agnes. I don’t really celebrate Halloween either, but I do enjoy seeing the creativity and imagination of these pumpkin carvers. For me it’s more like walking through an art gallery than celebrating Halloween.
Yes, I agree, Allen.They’re all very creative and a lot of work involved. Perhaps it serves all the carvers some purpose in getting all their creativity out in the open to be appreciated. Glad that you went to view the pumpkins and thank you for sharing your visit with us. Namaste
The festival made the headlines in the UK this year, though not for the most positive of reasons. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-29695232). I’m glad you made it despite the weather; I enjoyed your photos as much this year as last year. What a great event.
Thanks Jim. I didn’t know that the story went international, but they actually got it wrong. I was at the festival and never saw or heard any of that going on because the bulk of it happened on the college campus, which is away from the festival. Clearly, these “young adults” have a lot of growing up to do.
Impressive!
It was!
wow, a lot of work went into creating all of those! Great 🙂
That’s for sure Michael. I can see some of these easily taking hours to create.
I’m with Laura. I can’t do crowds. That said, I think you captured the spirit and creativity beautifully!
Thanks Martha. I’m with both of you-I don’t like crowds either but for one night each year I grin and bear it. If you can tune out the crowd the pumpkins really are amazing to see.
So much artistic effort you celebrate here.
Thank you Ben. Yes, I imagine that many people must put many hours into these pumpkins, and all for something that lasts just one night.
Also a gift to others.
I really enjoyed that! No pumpkin carving festivals over here and they could never be so big in this area. The imagination of the carvers – from the Birth of Venus to Cookie Monster – I loved it. Then the perfect quote. Amelia
Thank you Amelia. It really is amazing what we humans can do when we put a little effort into it. I’m glad that you liked seeing all the carved pumpkins.
I’m glad that you braved the weather to get these shots, Allen. The creativity and skill of the pumpkin carvers is amazing. Normally I am a traditionalist in terms of pumpkins, but I think my favorites are the Birth of Venus and the optical illusion pumpkin. Great shot that captured the spirit of the festival and Halloween itself.
Thanks Mike. I go to these festivals just to see what the carvers have come up with and each time I’m really amazed by their creativity. I’m glad you were, too.
I’ve always wanted to go to the festival, but I just can’t do the huge crowds. Thanks you for braving it and taking me there with your lens!
You’re welcome Laura. No, if you don’t like crowds then the pumpkin festival isn’t for you. It has had some of the biggest crowds I’ve ever been in. Sometimes it’s hard just to move.
Loved the quote and the pictures were a revelation. I didn’t know anything like that went on, it certainly doesn’t here. Well done for braving the crowds and leaving your tripod at home!
Thank you Susan. Yes, the pumpkin festival has gone on for 24 years now. I think the first one had around 300 pumpkins and today we see tens of thousands from all over New England.