Festival Photography - Free and Easy

I managed to attract a lot of attention last weekend with my Samsung GX10 Digital SLR. Street Festivals are a great way to get some vivid colourful photos and there are always plenty of performers willing to strike a pose .With this in mind I popped along to Leeds Pride with a couple of friends. So why the attention? It seemed that anyone and everyone would take a quick glance at the camera, notice it had a speedlite and lens hood attached and instantly assume I was working as a professional photographer. When I told them the images would go on my blog or a Facebook photo gallery, they still seemed equally as keen to hang around while I sorted my light meter.

Back to the point, festival photography can really boost a portfolio with colour and diversity, not to mention it’s usually free and can be quite fun. Street Performers will often create an interesting image with striking movement, or simply posing, while stall vendors can offer a slice of life digital portrait unlike anything you’d find anywhere else. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for live music photography (a personal favourite of mine) should the festival feature any open air stages.

Anybody can take a shot from the crowd with a camera phone, but getting into the pit is usually a different story. At local open air festivals you often find little to no security leading up to the local band stages so get creative, crouch down low and start building that rock star image portfolio. If security guards do happen to be blocking any stage access, they are more often than not a emotive bunch and like the stall vendors, another great opportunity for some reportage photography.

Last but not least is the colour. Festivals are more often than not a vibrant source of life and colour, especially in the summer months. With a bright blue sky you get the full effects of strong light bringing the most out of your subjects and depend on your choice of digital compact camera or digital SLR, playing with the manual settings here will really open up the possibilities of what you can achieve with a portfolio of digital pictures. But what if the weather turns? I hear you say. Simple, just use the grey skies to your advantage and try using digital picture editing software with good effects to make a creative piece.

Summer doesn’t last long in Britain so lets make the most of it, and we’d love to see your pictures here on Camera Wars!