Location: Olde Mystick Village, 27 Coogan Boulevard, Stonington, CT
Summary: Ice sculptures, ice scultpors and costumed visitors converged on the grounds of Olde Mystick Village
Don’t let the rising temperatures fool you. Winter is still very much in swing in New England. To celebrate the waning days of the winter season, Olde Mystick Village held its Ice In The Village festival. The event included over a dozen ice sculptures, two ice sculpting demonstrations and a there were even few characters straight out of Disney.
Mystic Village is known for its plethora of specialty shops and eateries. But the highlight last weekend were the ice sculptures that were installed around the village.
The sculptures ranged from artistic renderings of the animal kingdom
To carvings of food
But many of the sculptures were related to the businesses they were located in front of.
Some of the sculptures seemed to have a certain theme that fit in with the area and its history. Known for its seaport (the Mystic Seaport Museum is just a short distance from the village) Mystic has a rich nautical history. This anchor was a perfect symbol for the area.
This sculpture was popular with people who wanted to take their photos in the opening of the ice carving.
Perhaps the most popular part of the festival were the two ice sculpting demonstrations at the Ice In The Village event.
People were encouraged to wear their costumes and, fitting with the theme of ice and other cold things, Anna and Elsa made a surprise appearance.
Olde Mystick Village is a dog friendly venue and there were lots of dogs at the village during my visit. One of the dogs I saw there, Cocoa, a 9 year old Chocolate Lab, brought her own toy to the festival.
It is unclear whether they will hold this festival again in the upcoming years. But if they do I’ll see you there!
Parking: Metered street parking is available and there are two big parking garages on New Liberty St and Congress St
The Downtown Garage (New Liberty St) costs $1.50 per hour.
The Waterfront Garage (Congress St) costs $.75 per hour on weekdays and $1.50 per hour on weekends
Both garages operate from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Wednesday and from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM Thursday through Saturday.
Public Transportation: The MBTA’s Commuter Rail has a stop which deposits its passengers right at Washington St. $15 for a round trip ticket from North Station (fares vary depending upon where you leave from and where you are going)
The snow, ice and cold weather didn’t prevent countless revelers from heading to Salem for the annual Salem So Sweet ice sculpture celebration. In fact, it made for the ideal conditions.
For the past 19 years, Salem has been brightening up the winter days with a ice sculpture festival, highlighted by a special illumination show on the day they arrive.
Much like everything this past tear, everything seemed different and not just because of the obvious. The crowds were smaller, there was a less jovial feel to the event and it wasn’t as festive as in the past. While smaller crowds can be a plus for visitors and especially for visitors with a camera, it didn’t feel right. I’d rather wait and even jostle for a photograph and feel a more fun atmosphere. I suppose that is to be expected these days though. The crowds seemed to ebb and then gather sporadically. But it did seem to be a much smaller crowd this year.
The sculptures were delivered around noontime on the 6th. But, the celebration really heats up during the late afternoon and early evening. From 5 pm to 9 pm on Saturday the sculptures were illuminated. They are only lit up for these 4 hours. So it does attract a busy night time crowd. Although, of course, with most bars closed or operating with heavy restrictions, the night crowd was noticeably smaller.
Unfortunately, the ice sculptures are removed on Valentine’s Day, February 14. So you’ll have to wait until next year, when things are expected to be closer to “normal” to see the sculptures in person.
There were also fewer ice sculptures this year than in the past. Last year there were 26 sculptures. This year 17 sculptures adorned the streets of Salem. However, a few of them were either damaged, had melted substantially because of the warmer weather and sunlight during the day or, in one case, completely broken.
But, I did my best to photograph the sculptures that were available.
I have skipped a few that were too damaged or completed destroyed and one I forgot about because it was too far away (# 17 “Bakery”)
1 “Owl And Moon”
This owl, which was located near Witch City Wicks on Essex St probably looked better before it was illuminated since the sun helped to melt it and obscure some of its features. That was a common theme as you will see in some of these photos. It’s a trade off. Either take the photos of the sculptures when they are fresh and haven’t melted and haven’t been mutilated or wait until the are illuminated when they look, in my estimation, much prettier. I may take photos of the sculptures before and after illumination next year to avoid this from happening again.
2 The World
If you attend the ice sculpture festival each year, you may notice some of the same companies or organizations use the same type of sculptures each year like this sculpture also on Essex St. The Journeymasters, a travel agency company, usually has a sculpture of a globe with a star or some other kind of fanciful design around it.
3 “Thanking All Alumni On The Front Lines”
This sculpture, sponsored by Salem State University whose sports teams are named the Vikings, was located on Essex St near the Bewitched statue at Lappin Park. It was dedicated to the front line and first responders who graduated from the university’
4 Kids In Snow
Located in front of Salem Cycle on Washington St, this ice sculpture depicts two children sledding.
5 Fish
This sculpture of a fish was appropriately located next to Turner’s Seafood on Church St
6 Joan Of Arc Sword And Shield
Located outside of Coon’s Card & Gift Shop on Essex, this sculpture was dedicated to Joan of Arc.
7 Sweets
This sculpture, located on Front St, had an actual rose near the top of the sculpture. It also accurately depicts how, while the sculpture look even more stunning at night, they can be much more difficult to photograph the darker it gets even with a tripod and careful photoshop editing. It wasn’t even that late either. I think it was close to 6:30 pm when this photo was taken. But it does get dark pretty early in these parts during the winter.
8 Rocking Horse
Nothing anything different or weird about this rocking horse sculpture which was located on Front St? Don’t lose your head trying to think.
Yes, this rocking horse is missing it’s neck and head. Although it was a little warm (by winter in New England standards) and the sun was beating on the sculptures during the day, this sculpture’s head didn’t melt off. It was almost certainly the act of vandalism or damaged during delivery.
11 2021 Picture Frame
Located on Central St, this sculpture was famous for people and sometimes their pets posing in together
12 Gingerbread House
This sculpture, located neat Witch City Mall (formerly Museum Place Mall) on Essex St, looked goof enough to eat.
13 Hello Kitty Phone
Unfortunately, the writing on the wall of the Peabody Essex Museum on Essex St made it a little hard to show all of the features of the cat.
15 Sailboat
This was the only sculpture that wasn’t illuminated. As you can see the sun had caused it to melt quite a bit.
16 Candy
This sculpture was appropriately located across from the oldest candy company in America (Ye Olde Pepper Company) and in front of the House of The Seven Gables, this sculpture depicts a train with a cargo of candy canes.
There were helpful guides at the event to hep you find the sculptures and distribute maps showing where all the sculptures are located, although most people used the map on their map from the event’s website. Some of the helpers got into the spirit of the event.
Although she didn’t say much, Samantha was also dressed up for the event.
Although they weren’t part of the actual event, there was some other decorations that lit up the event.
This house on Derby St is famous for decorating its property for major holidays and events.
You may notice a little critter walking up the pathway. When I was photographing the decorations I noticed this little animal approaching me. Having seen cats there during previous photo shoots at this location, I thought nothing of it until it got right in front of me. Yeah it’s a skunk. Fortunately there was a fence between us and the skunk didn’t spray. He or she just turned around and walked back the way he or she came from. It was a very close call!
The famous Jerry the dinosaur of Salem.
The city of Salem has also put up year round lighting displays that made the event even more Decorative than usual.
And this business on Derby St got into the Valentine’s Day spirit.
I look forward to photographing this extravaganza next year when things are more “normal.” But hopefully not too normal!
You can view photos from previous Salem’s Too Sweet Events that I have photographed in the past by clicking on the links below:
Location: Salem, Commons, Washington Square, Salem, MA
Universally Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Summary, 18 placards tell the story of Wizzil, a horrible hag who wants to add some excitement to her life. Without giving away too many spoilers, her parrot suggests she amuse herself by making someone else suffer. Hilarity ensues.
It definitely seems like this whole “socially distancing” thing is working. During my quick, socially distanced visit to Salem, MA, there was hardly a soul in the area. In fact, many people were probably curled up with a book.
Salem Public Library has brought the best of both worlds to the Salem Commons. The Storywalk, which was based on the children’s book Wizzil by William Steig and illustrated by Quentin Blake, was created so that families could enjoy the outdoors while still reading and laughing as a family.
The 18 signs are placed within the socially distanced spaces recommended by the government. They were prepared by the Children’s Room staff at the Salem Public Library.
If you do go, there are some ground rules. First, you must give each visitor a 6 foot zone of space for social distancing purposes. Visitors are also discouraged from touching the signs.
You can read the story below. I have I have posted the photos of the placards in the order of how they were placed at the common. You may have to expand the screen to read the lettering since it is so small. Or, better yet, go to the Commons and read it for yourself!
Below are some photos of Salem Saturday morning. It was very desolate and I was half expecting a zombie or some other undead being to come around one of the corners. I was in Salem after all. It was just me and this very hungry squirrel.
Location: Cape Cod Canal, 70 Main St, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, MA
Hours: The statue is accessible everyday, 24 hours a day, although the hours the canal is accessible may be different
Cost: Free
Parking: there is a parking lot for about 100 or more cars at the base of the trail of the canal. There are also various parking areas along the canal.
Summary: Dedicated on the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Cape Cod Canal, “The Fisherman” sculpture of Stan Gibbs stands next to the main parking lot to the entrance of the Cape Cod Canal trail.
Buzzards Bay has long been known for the fishing enthusiasts who travel far and wide to try their luck in the waters of the Cape Cod Canal. Now, there is a statue dedicated to the people who fish in these waters. But, the 10 foot tall bronze statue sculpted by Cape Cod native and resident David Lewis is actually dedicated to one particular fisherman.
Legendary hunter, trapper, fisherman and lure-making expert Stan Gibbs, a frequent visitor to the Canal, is the impetus for this statue. In fact, the people who decided to build this statue were member of the Stan Gibbs Fisherman’s Classic Tournament, an annual fishing contest held each September named in his honor.
Originally from Easton, Gibbs moved to Sagamore, a town in Bourne, MA, and just short distance from the canal. It was there that Gibbs developed his love and skill of angling. He would use his skill and knowledge of fishing to create lures, called Gibbs Lures, later in his life.
Dedicated in 2016, as part of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Canal, the statue shows Gibbs with two fish slung over his right shoulder and a fishing rod in his left. A tablet rests on the block the statue stands on. Engraved in it is the following:
THE FISHERMAN
A tribute to past present and future striped bass fisherman and the great cape cod canal. Dedicated to local fishing legend Stan Gibbs
Perhaps most importantly to the residents of the area, the statue didn’t cost the tax payers one dime. The $80,000 price tag for the statue and surrounding area was funded through 7 years of fund raising.
The next time you stop by the canal, make sure to say “hi” to Stan!
As an addendum to my post, I apologize for my absence from WordPress. I have been moving and anyone who has done this knows the time and effort involved in this process. Things have settled down now and I will post more frequently. I hope you all continue to view my content. Since it is easier and less time consuming, I have been posting on my Facebook page regularly. The link to my Facebook page is listed below. Please connect with me on Facebook to see more content in a more timely fashion. Thank you!
Summary: As part of their Fall festivities, Yankee Candle’s flagship store in South Deerfield, MA, held a celebration of all things fall. A costume contest, ice carving, a haunted house and dancers were just some of the attractions at this event.
Yankee Candle thrilled everyone with a Halloween/Fall event for all ages last month.
Dancers, costumed visitors and even a haunted house were just some of the highlights of this celebration of all things fall!
Yankee Candle decorated the grounds and store in proper fashion.
Meet Leona, a 1,732.5 pound pumpkin grown by Dan and Holly Boyce of Vermont. Leona is the second largest recorded pumpkin grown in Vermont!
Many visitors and workers got into the spirit of the season by dressing up in their very own Halloween costumes! The black and white photo pays homage to George Romero’s classic 1968 black and white movie “Night Of The Living Dead.” The zombies would later dance to “Thriller” as part of the dance performance. There was a costume judging contest as well. But I had to leave before the winners were announced.
The dancers at Kasaks Dance Academy performed during the Pumpkin Ball. The half hour performance included dancing by each age group (starting with the youngest to the oldest).
Crawling out to the dancer floor, the last group of dancers danced to Halloween themed music ending their performance by dancing to “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
There was also face painting and a pumpkin decorating contest.
The fun wasn’t just in the store, though. On the grounds of the shop there were alpacas, horse drawn rides, ice carving and a family friendly haunted house.
Joe Almeida of Sculptures In Ice carved a spooky ice sculpture at the beginning of the event.
But, one of the more popular attractions at the event was the haunted house. All of the proceeds from the haunted house ($5 admission) went to Dakin Humane Society, an animal shelter in Springfield, MA. Inside the haunted house there were pumpkins, spiders, and other Halloween related decorations.
After going through the haunted house, there were masks for visitors to put on for possible photo opportunities. Two of the little visitors were nice enough to pose for me.
Dogs celebrate Halloween too! Scrappy, a year and a half old Chihuahua, was enjoying the unseasonably warm Fall weather.
Location: Pickering Wharf, Salem Maritime Museum, 160 Derby St, Salem MA
Summary: over 100 pets met up at the Salem Maritime Museum to show off their costumes and march in the Howl-O-Ween pet parade.
Halloween isn’t just for humans. The annual Howl-O-Ween pet parade showed off over 100 of these Halloween pet revelers.
Although I wasn’t able to get all of the participants names and breeds. Below is a sample of some of the participants:
Pepper, Millie, Hobs and Rocky (all chihuahuas) were the three Musketeers and fun sized Musketeer.
Sadie, dressed as Jason Doghees I mean Vorhees, is a 12 year old Peekapoo.
Lucy, 1 year old Puggle, was a roaring lion. Lucy is a rescue from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, MA. She was saved from one of the storms that recently hit Florida.
Ralph, a Jack Russell and Mini Pinscher rescue, was a cute little pineapple.
Triskit, a 3 year old chihuahua, was a parrot.
Buddy (on the left), a 8 year old chihuahua, was a lumberjack. Pixie, dressed as Babe The Blue Ox (on the right), is a 6 year old chihuahua.
One year old Penny Liu was dressed as a Chinese Mandarin.
Calypso was an angel.
Winston, a 5 year old Corgi, was dressed as Paddington.
Reecey, a 13 year old half border, half husky mix, was dressed as a mutant ninja turtle.
Olive, a 4 year old feist mix, was a bumble bee.
Ziggy was dressed as Mr. Spock. Live long and prosper Ziggy!
Oso had a very special delivery for everyone!
Jasper, a 2 and a half year old mixed breed, was a zebra.
“Sweep the leg!” Dexter, dressed as Johnny from Cobra Kai and Oliver, dressed as “Daniel son” from Miyagi-Do. They are both 4 year old French Bulldogs.
Hazel (on the left) was dressed as a peacock. Molly (on the right) was dressed as Cleopatra.
Grayson was dressed as Lucy.
Twix, the cowgirl, is an 11 month old Dalmatian.
Opal, a 9 month old husky mix, was dressed as Hermione Granger.
Benji, 10 years old, was dressed as Batman.
Remus, a 4 month old mixed Lab, was dressed as Luigi. If you watch the video of the pet parade below you may see his mom and dad dressed as Mario and the Princess from Super Mario World.
Henry, a 2 year old, King Charles Cavalier, was dressed as a Cavalier.
Seba the lion is a 4 year old Lab.
The acrobatic Tilda was dressed as a ballerina.
Nissan (on the left) was dressed as Princess Leia. Sirius (on the right) was dressed as Yoda. They are both terrier mix shelter dogs.
Hunter, a 5 year old rescue lab, was dressed as a skunk.
Sequoia, a 3 year old cattle mix, was dressed as a blowfish.
The pet parents also got into the spirit of the event.
Daisy and her mom were dressed as the Little Mermaid and Ursula.
Nala and her family were the “udderly spectacular” cow family.
Walt was dressed as Flounder with the Little Mermaid.
Dumbo was dressed as an alligator.
Brady and the rest of the family were dressed as Abu with Aladdin and Family
Not all of the pets at the parade were dogs, though.
There was this chicken.
There were also these two very brave cats.
Scout was dressed as Peter Pan’s shadow.
and this cat/lion hybrid!
Strider, a 10 year old fancy bearded dragon, was dressed as a clarinet.
Unfortunately, I was unable to get the names of these cute pets below.
Although they looked great and the main point of the event was to have fun. There were awards for best overall costume, most creative and the best costume with people. Some of the winners of the costume contest were:
Ruby the Racehorse, a 2 year old pointer mix, won for best pet with humans.
Adelphie, dressed as a time traveler’s backpack, won for most creative.
Butterscotch, dressed as spaghetti and meatballs, also won a pet with humans award. It wasn’t until later when they received their award did I notice the Lady and the Tramp tie in.
Nellie, dressed as a pin cushion, won for best overall costume.
Last, but certainly not least, Tilda, 5 years old, was the Grand Marshall of the event!
There was also a pet parade where all of the contestants could show off their costumes. All of the more than 100 contestants and their parents or friends marched in the parade.
Highlights, historic home, character actors, guided tours
Summary: The Paul Revere House offers guided tours of the historic home. A special visitor stopped by during my visit.
Photography is not allowed inside the Paul Revere House (which makes it particularly hard to post about my visit there). However, there was a special guest during my visit.
One of Paul’s besties, John Adams, happened to be visiting while I was there. John regaled the crowd (don’t they look enthralled?) with his stories of his colorful past and his disdain for the British and French.
John also read a letter from his friend Benjamin Franklin.
But, before too long, John checked his watch and he told us it was time to leave.
Although I could not photograph inside the building, I did get some photos of the exterior of the building.
Paul Revere bought the he two story building, which was built in 1680, in 1770 . It has four rooms and ninety percent of the structure, two doors, three window frames, and portions of the flooring, foundation, inner wall material and raftering are original. The rooms have furniture and furnishings that look similar to those from that era. There are staff members in the houses who give a historical background of the house.
People come from all over to visit the house. These two visitors came all the way from Illinois!
Rumor has it there may be another special guest there next Saturday (Sep[. 28)!
Location: Boston Public Garden, Arlington St, Boston, MA
It’s been 18 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, yet the pain is still real and the scars are still raw for many. Built in 2002, the 911 Memorial at the Boston Garden gives people a place to reflect, leave flowers and other mementos and let us all remember.
The memorial includes names of the victims with ties to Massachusetts or the New England area. As I scanned the scanned the 250 names , one name stood out.
Madeline Amy Stewart (more commonly known as Amy Stewart) is considered the first person to give a description of the hijackers to the air traffic controllers. Amy, who was originally from Long Island and settled in Acton, MA, after her marriage, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11. Before her plane crashed into the North Tower, Amy relayed important information about the hijackers and the path of the plane she was on. Like many other people who died that day she was not supposed to work on that flight. She had picked up an extra shift for a colleague who had fallen ill. There are a lot of stories like that in the list of names etched in the memorial.
Each year, the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award For Civilian Bravery is awarded to one person from a who has displayed exceptional bravery, without regard for personal safety, in an effort to save the lives of another or others in actual imminent danger.
Annually, on the anniversary of the attacks, a wreath is placed at the memorial. Many people also leave mementos and reminders such as a photo of the Twin Towers and photos of some of the victims of the attack.
Another thing I noticed on the memorial is a few of the names had FDNY after their names (indicating they worked for the Fire Department of New York) and, as I researched the memorial and names on the memorials, just how many people had ties to the New England area. It’s not unusual to meet someone in one of the New England states who has a relative who resides in New York, or who may have been born there or lived there at some point. We’re very much connected to New York and other parts of the areas affected by the attacks and the connection is very much evident when you visit the memorial.
Rubik’s Cube. Monopoly. NES. Do these games bring you a warm, fuzzy feeling of nostalgia? Then you would have loved the Toytopia exhibit this summer at Springfield Museum.
The exhibit featured a variety of old style arcade games such as Ms Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Defender and Dig Dig. The games were able to be used and the museum conveniently provided change making machines for visitors to make change so they could partake in the games.
One of the most popular exhibits was the Etch-A-Sketch exhibit, largely because of the works of a famous Etch-A-Sketch artist. The Etch-A-Sketch display showcased the work of George Viosich.
The display showed off George’s Etch-A-Sketch’s portraits of Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. His portraits can take up to 150 hours and they can sell for $5,000 to $10,000.
Zoltar, the fortune telling machine from the movie “Big” and his parrot were also at the exhibit.
A toy that replicated the musical stairs from the movie were also part of the exhibit which patrons could use to make their own music.
There was also a display of Lego figures that ranged from Star War figures to Marvel and DC characters.
The exhibit also showed off popular toys from every decade and era going back to the early 1900’s
AS if that wasn’t enough fun, there was also a Thomas The Train exhibit in the Springfield Museum of History.
The exhibit featured a replica of Thomas The Train and props from the show.
The train also allowed visitors to use toy pieces of coal to start the train. Reminds me of fueling up my car!
The Toytopia exhibit showed how everyone, regardless of age, size, gender
Dates Of Event: July 26-28, 2019 (the event is usually held annually during the last weekend of July)
Location: Revere Beach, Revere Beach Blvd, Revere, MA (about 20 minutes northeast of Boston, MA, or 1 hour and 15 minutes southeast of Concord, NH)
Cost: Free
Parking: Since they close the streets for the event parking is limited. Parking is available at the Wonderland train stop. You may also find street parking on a side street.
The early bird gets the unobstructed sand sculpture photos. Or, at least so I thought.
The last Sunday of July, I decided to wake up early and photograph the sand sculptures from the annual Sand Sculpting Festival at Revere Beach. There was one slight problem. Everyone else north of Boston had the same idea. The streets and sidewalks at the beach were already slightly clogged with revelers, sun seekers and photogs by the time I arrived “early” at 6 a.m. But, with some effort, I was still able to get a few shots without people, workers or other objects in the background of most of my shots.
The annual sand sculpting event included 15 sand sculptors from all over the world. Awards were given to the top five sculptures that were judged by a panel of experts. There were also a “People’s Choice” award the visitors were able to vote for and a “Sculptor’s Choice” award the sculptors all voted for.
Then, there were 8 additional sand sculptures which did not win a prize but are no less impressive.
So, instead of a big, dramatic countdown, let’s start from the top of the list!
First place went to Canadian artist Melineige Beauregard for her sculpture, “The Nest.” Melineige also works with snow and ice to make sculptures during the colder seasons.
Third place went to Ilya Filimontsev from Russia for his sculpture “Guardian Angels.”
Fourth place went to Abe Waterman of Canada for his sculpture “I Just Can’t Bring Myself To Care, Doctor: An Ode To Apathy.”
Dan Belcher from Missouri came in fifth place with his sculpture “Trance.” Dan has been creating sand sculptures around the world since 1990.
The Sculptor’s Choice Award which was voted on by all of the sand sculptors was awarded to David Mac from Belgium for his work “La Renaissance De Notre Dame.”
The People’s Choice Award was awarded to Sudarsan Pattnaik from India for his sculpture “Save Our Ocean Stop Plastic Pollution.
Although only five of the sculptures won a prize, they were worthy of our praise. One of my favorites from the festival was “Eye Of The Tiger” by Sue McGrew of Washington state. She has been sculpting sand for over a decade.
“Attempting Union” by Morgan Rudluff from Santa Cruz, California was another popular sculpture at the event.
Fergus Mulvany of Dublin, Ireland, created another fan favorite called “Deep Sleep Diving.”
“Dream About Flight” by Aleksei Rybak from Russia is another sculpture that failed to qualify for one of the top spots in the competition.
“Mama Look !! I Found My Teddy!” by Deb Barrett Cutulle was popular sculpture despite not placing in the top of the competition.
“Horsepower” by Maxim Gazendam was another sculpture that failed to place in the top five.
“The Birth Of A New Universe” by Pavel Mylnikov from Russia was another sculpture that failed to make the cut.
Last, but certainly not least, is “Lady Moon” by Benoit Dutherage From France.
The theme of this year’s sand sculpture festival was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. And many of the sculptures from the To commemorate this monumental achievement, the main sand sculpture included sculptures of the astronauts involved in the voyage. Each of the sculptors contributed to these sculptures.
You have to be careful photographing the sunset, especially when you’re photographing it with other objects. For instance, I chose to use a lower aperture (5.6 for most of the photos) which left the sculptures often a bit dark. I also noticed that when I did edit the photos, I had to be careful to not use too much brightness or contrast or other buttons to control the darkness of the sculptures, especially the faces of the sculptures, because it can blow out the colors of the sunset. So, I chose to keep the sculptures a little dark and close up on the key features like faces to capture them without worrying about the background.
You can also try photographing from different angles where the shadows won’t be as bad. I was trying to avoid taking photos with people or other objects in the background. So it was hard to get photos of the sculptures from certain angles without getting people in the background and it also limited the angles I could shoot from. There were a lot of people there despite the early time of the shoot!
Since it’s unlikely the sand sculptures are going to move (and if the do leave immediately!), you can use AV (or Aperture Priority) mode so you can concentrate solely on the aperture settings. I have been using manual mode exclusively with my photos. But it took me a long time to get there. So, I do suggest using aperture priority mode if you’re not comfortable using full manual mode unless you’re photographing things that have action or some other element that requires a fast or variable shutter speed.
New England Nomad 