The Machines of Wonderland

I took a much needed day off yesterday, and decided to visit Canada’s Wonderland, for two reasons. First, because I’m a kid at heart and love roller coasters! Second, I wanted to do a test shoot for an upcoming wedding where the couple have asked that I photograph them at night, in their wedding attire, at the Canadian National Exhibition. It’s going to be so much fun - I can’t wait.
As I was walking around Canada’s Wonderland, my focus changed from the children on the rides, to the rides themselves. I love working with kids, so I was a bit surprised when my attention kept being drawn to these machines. They bring so much enjoyment to kids and adults alike. They’re marvels of technology. And I’m a technology geek.

The g-force generated by these rides is incredible. Large groups of people are being hurtled and swung around, often at speeds over 100km per hour, day after day, week after week. Take into consideration how many rides are set up in a relatively small space, and the safety factor involved. It’s very impressive.

When night started to roll in, the rides began to look ominous. They reminded me of Transformers (the movie is such good fun, by the way). With such long tracks standing hundreds of feet above ground, they reminded me of long, mechanical tentacles. We put a lot of trust into these machines, hardly thinking about the technology behind them as we scream at the top of our lungs, hurtling towards the ground, strapped into the latest, and fastest roller coasters.

The only downside from yesterday, is that I got so caught up shooting, I only went on two rides! That’s okay though. I’ll go back before they’re closed for the season.