Your festival is about to finally happen! After months of planning, sweat and tears the big moment has arrived.
With everything happening live, minute by minute, you’ll want everything captured by your festival photography. So whether you have a single photographer or a whole photo and video team on its way, here are a few ideas to help you to help them get the best from your booking.
1. Brief your Photographer
A brief is always vital to a photoshoot, but at a live event it is essential.
Yes it’s a busy day for you, but make sure you have time for a run-through with your photographer and that you let them know the main parts that you want covered in the photoshoot. It’s important that you give them a detailed schedule of the day and highlight the key events you want covered, what times they are and (if it’s a large festival) where they are. If you’ve booked a single photographer, don’t expect them to be in three different places at once!
Is there a parade or procession taking place? Are there fireworks in the evening you want captured? Is there a headline act and when? If it’s a food (or another product festival) – what stands must not be missed?
Leave enough time for a conversation without distraction; handing over a program and telling them to ‘just get a bit of everything’ will leave your photographer challenged and you disappointed with the results, as they won’t be what you were hoping for.
Once you are both clear on what you want from the day and what you want to achieve, then you can both get on with what you are there to do.
2. Give them Access
If you have a backstage, exclusive or VIP area, make sure that your photographer has complete access; issue any passes required.
To get the full story of the festival, they will want to be able to get wherever needed and do so unhindered. Backstage and VIP areas are where the photographer gets a chance to showcase the other side of the festival. These shots will be the ones that are often of most interest to the public, sponsors and even the stars themselves!
Festival photography requires a lot of shooting in order to catch the perfect moments that you want to see in the results, so by giving your photographer the access they need, you are giving yourself access to probably the best photo of your event.
3. Subject(s) Matter
A big part of a successful festival photoshoot – whatever type of festival you are running – is profiling people. Festivals attract all kinds of different people and this mixture is what makes festivals the energetic, exciting places that they are.
As well as the general public, think about the people behind the scenes – the ones who are working hard to make it a success. Pick a few of these as potential subjects for your photoshoot. Band members, stage crew, food vendors, stewards – these people all have stories to tell through photos and they become a part of the story of the festival.
Remember to introduce some of the ‘back-room’ people to your photographer as potential photo subjects – point out any people you think they may otherwise miss.
4. Know your Story
Speaking of telling a story – think about what style of story you want your photoshoot to tell about your festival. Every festival is a long process culminating in an event that is often spread over several days.
Do you want your photos to reflect the energy and vibrancy of the main events? Do you want them to show the fun and enjoyment? An art festival will want to convey a very different feel and thought to, for example, a music festival. A religious festival may want to come across as fun or more sombre.
Take a few minutes to decide on the themes of the story you want to tell through your photos and make sure that you communicate this to your photographer. The more they understand what impressions you want to create, the more they can work towards your intent.
5. Stage a Live Broadcast
If you have only booked a photographer for your festival, then consider adding a videographer as well (no – it’s not too late, but you’ll need to move quickly and call Splento now).
A live broadcast is an amazing way to let people in who can’t get to your festival in person. They can really put across the vibe of the event in a way that is completely different to photographs. And it’s live!
Afterwards, the video can be compiled into short videos of highlights to complement your photo gallery and is a great way to market the event for the following year.
If this is not something you have previously considered, follow this link or call Splento today to see how this incredible medium can spread the word – and the experience – of your event.
6. Trust your Photographer
Communicate your brief to your photographer, let them know what you are trying to achieve with your photoshoot, follow the steps above, then listen to any suggestions they may have.
Your photographer will have experience and expertise in photographing festivals and events – it’s why they are there.
If they have any suggestions or request to photograph a particular subject, then trust them – they are doing their job. And as they are Splento, you can be sure they are doing it well.
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