Total Shots taken	359
Number Acceptable for Future activity	43
Number of 5 star ratings (5* yield %)	6 (1.7%)

Chicago does a GREAT Thanksgiving parade!  The history of the parade dates back to the 1930’s.  Today, at 80 years old, it is known as the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade, but started out as the Chicago Caravan.  It’s  a premier event:  In 2012 there were 3.68 million television viewers and 425,000 persons attending the parade live.  Photo ops galore!

Thanksgiving 2013 was cold, and bright with sunshine in Chicago.  I don’t know that I was at MY best, but I had a great spot to capture some of the best attractions and balloons.

• The Cirques Experience – Wow, this group wowed the crowd with their movement effects using the wheel.  I love seeing the performer clearly while the people are a blur – he was moving at a pretty good clip.
• Reflections of a Crowd – Wow!  Tubas and other large horns in the marching band make great reflecting surfaces.  I wasn’t thinking about that when I took the photo, but when I reviewed them at the end of the day, I saw the possibilities in the reflection.  Having seen this, next time I will start by looking for the reflection!
• Flag  — It’s hard to beat the beauty of the flag sported by the Chinese Gong Fu Institute – Central China Friendship Association.  It celebrates both the Chinese culture and the culture of the city of Chicago.
• Flag Wavers – With all the bands, there were no shortage of teams waving brightly colored flags.  My goal was to catch the flags while the team was in action, flag unfurled.   I love this shot and seeing the flags in motion.
• The Drummer – One of the things that I tried to get was some of the drummers.  Had several different angles that I tried, many of which focused on capturing the drumsticks in action.  This one however,   featuring the Lake Zurich High School Marching Band, catches the drummer looking over at the crowd.
• Mexican Dancers — The flourishes of the Mexican dancers in this shot show their energy:  the movement of the skirts, the way the dancers look at teach other…. I love the energy of this picture.

My lesson learned?  It’s harder than I thought to take these shots – I had fun trying. And honestly, I thought these were 4*, but I wanted to share them anyway.  Hope you enjoy them!