Photographer Spotlight
Continuing with our spotlight series, this month we are featuring our dear friend and loyal longtime Midnight Circus photographer, Sharon Gaietto!
Sharon has been photographing under the Little Big Top since she and her family saw Midnight Circus for the first time in 2014. “I had been very aware of the Midnight Circus for years, as far back as 1999, when I saw them at the Congress Theater,” She says. “I had no idea how amazing the show really was. . . the whole family walked away from that show, wondering why we hadn't gone sooner.”
Sharon grew up in the south suburbs, but has been a Chicagoan for 21 years. Her interest in photography started after she left the teaching profession to stay home with her children. Her interest eventually grew into her own business. She is mainly a portrait photographer, but her interests are varied. “My interests have me photographing so many different things. I shoot what I see and I try to capture the best angle, so others can see the beauty I see in the subject(s).”
Inside the ring Sharon loves to capture the individuality of all of the performers. “They each offer something different. It could be the graceful poses on the lyra, the facial expressions of the performers, the amazing jumps of Rosie Rae, or the acrobatically jaw-dropping maneuvers. They are all so much fun to photograph.”
Her tenacity is one of the keys to capturing stunning moments— her finger stays on the shutter button and she never risks putting her camera down during a performance. She says, “I am constantly shooting throughout the show. I know if I put my camera down, at any point, I'm going to miss something.” Her efforts pay off— she says she can easily leave a show with over 1,000 images.
One of her favorite moments (pictured below) is Max Jenkins on the Rolla Bolla. “I love this one, because I still can't figure out how Max recovered from what seemed to be a pretty bad fall. I also love the expression on everyone's faces. They were all shocked as well.”
Sharon is one of Midnight Circus’s most dedicated photographers and we are incredibly lucky to be able to call her a dear friend. Lucky for us the feeling is mutual, “I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph the Midnight Circus, but more importantly, my family and I are very thankful to call the Jenkins family our friends."
If you are interested in more of Sharon’s photography, check out her website sharongaiettophotography.com, Facebook or her two instagram accounts,