Tips For Amazing Festival Photography

Festivals are known for their vibrant colors, diverse cultures, fun and great moments of excitement. Photographers cherish capturing these happy moments on their cameras as life is added to any surrounding beautiful landscapes and historical monuments. However, photography in festivals is very challenging as it involves several thousand people, unplanned activities and a certain degree of chaos. Following some simple tips may help you to capture some of the finest shots in your collection.

Planning

When deciding to travel and attend a festival, it is better that you plan ahead and do some basic research about the location. The research should be focused on understanding the true essence of the festival and its key elements. It may be a good idea to read about the festival or possibly talk to some locals about the importance of the festival. This will also help you understand and respect the local customs and traditions.

Reach early

If you are new to the location, you should ideally reach the place a few hours earlier before the festival starts. This will give you enough time to setup and interact with the people to improve your understanding of the festival. You may also be able to capture some candid and exclusive behind-the-scene shots, which truly depict the essence of the festival.

Yee Peng festival of Light by Taradol Chitmanchaitham

Focus on People

All great festivals are people-centric. A festival is made fun and joyous by the people who are celebrating it. The camera shots should be focused on people. You should try and interact with the people, even if you do not know their language. The language of creative expression will explore the true feelings of people when celebrating the festival.

Unleash your creativity

As a photographer, you should try and create unique pictures. These pictures should present the viewer with a new perspective about the festival and be different from the rest. You should explore new angles by moving about openly in the area and not hesitate to get down on your knees and take a low angle shot. You should also use different camera functions, which can help to make the images more interesting. Be creative by focusing on minute details that can help to express what the festival is all about.

Yee peng the festival of light by Nopphakhun Duangsri

Travel light

Always travel light when going for photography at festivals. You should only carry one bag, which should easily accommodate your equipment and all other items that may be needed. It may be a good idea to carry a fast lens, such as 50mm 1.8, as it is cheap and light. Using a lens hood may also help protect your lens and reduce any lens flare.

Set your camera early

As festivals are full of action and surprises, you should have your camera settings ready so that great shots may not be missed. You should try shooting in RAW as this will help you in the post-processing stage. As you may not have the time to set both the aperture and shutter speed for each shot, it is advisable that either the Aperture Priority mode or Shutter Priority mode be chosen for shooting. It may also be a good idea to shoot in burst modes so that no picture moments are missed.