How Itasca photographer captured his winning image

Sometimes you have to spin the wheel and see where it stops before you can see what chance delivers.

It was by chance, combined with photographic know-how, that Emil Schiavo committed this whoosh of color to a still digital photograph and won the Daily Herald's July Photo Finish contest.

Schiavo said he's partial to photographing summer carnivals, especially at night when the bright neon palette of rides, food stands and arcade games contrast so sharply with the night sky.

These days, he said, Ferris wheels are more intriguing than ever to the photographer's eye.

"They have digital lights that change colors," he said. "With a time exposure, you don't know what you're going to get until the picture is taken."

A career photographer who has his own business, Images by Emil, Schiavo concentrates mostly on portraiture and real estate photography.

"I do (shoot) a lot of bands for Elk Grove Village concerts," he said.

The Itasca resident said he always takes his camera equipment to carnivals. This photo was taken at Elk Grove Village's Rotary Fest in June.

"It was a three-second time exposure. I had the camera on a tripod, nice and steady," he said.

The camera was a digital model, a Nikon D750.

"I've had Nikons probably since the '70s," he said. "It was a beautiful night, very little wind. It was easy to take that picture once it was set up. I was in the parking lot, not too far from the Ferris wheel."

The sight lines were good, too, he said, with nothing blocking the view of the wheel and the fireworks.

He began shooting after the ride was set in motion.

"I always wait to take the shot when the Ferris wheel is moving because then you get the streaks of light. I don't really know what to expect. Each one comes out different," he said.

Schiavo said he submitted this shot to the Daily Herald's contest because he was particularly pleased by how the wheel is framed by the background fireworks.

"I was thrilled with it myself," he said.

Schiavo will receive a $50 gift certificate for PJ's Camera in Glen Ellyn for his winning entry.

He said he plans to use his prize to stock up on memory cards. And, he said, he plans to visit more summer festivals in search of more memorable images.