Friday, 7 August 2009

Colour

having now had the chance to go over my recent images I can begin to see a real passion developing for saturating colour. As well as also introducing a feeling of nostalgia to my images.
I am becoming more and more aware of the colour around me and also looking at the way old photographs dealt with colour especially holga cameras. I have resolved to buy myself an old holga camera and begin to experiment with the way those cameras see colour. The plan is to take one to Bestival in September when I will once again have some time on my hands to be able to shoot for myself without the pressure of news organizations demanding specific images of specific artists and acts.
I have also come into contact with a number of other photographers now who also have similar views and ideas on colour and nostalgia that I have and plan to collaborate with them or at least brainstorm and share ideas with them.
Camp bestival was very successful for me in a professional way as a number of very high profile bands and acts have come into contact with my work and want to see more from me. On a funny note I even have Mr Tumbles personal mobile phone number now...what parent of a young child in the UK wouldn't kill for that privilege!
As 2009 moves on towards the end of the summer now I have also resolved to move closer to where most of the festivals and action is with a move to Cornwall on the cards in the coming months for both me and my partner. This we both feel is a sensible move and somewhere we have been thinking of moving towards for a number of years. Lookout when the move happens for some very dramatic winter seascapes as the north Cornish coast is very dramatic.

Saturday, 1 August 2009

Camp Bestival. Flags, Fun, Music & Sun

Well Camp Bestival seems like a distant memory now but one of those memories that truly become a cushion for old age. We arrived on site two days before the festival began and started to distribute the sofas , mirrors, dressing tables and chairs to all manor of strangely named sites within the grounds of Lulworth Castle. Our sofas were delivered to knitting tents sewing tents and placed around a campfire circled with flags. Pianos were placed underneath trees and within a circle of flags to be used by anyone who cared to stop and play. The work having been completed we were then free to roam around an empty site photographing all that is involved in setting up such a huge festival. Flags adorned every part of every field from the castle field to the magic meadow. As the last of the flags went up the sunshine appeared and the whole festival site looked like one giant medieval tournament field. We wandered for hours just marvelling at the spectacle.
Friday arrived and so did the festival goers along with their fancy dress costumes and so the festival began and the music started. We were treated to everything from Mr Tumble from CBBC to Chic with their amazing catalogue of disco tunes. Comedy came from the likes of Lee Mack and dancing from the English National Ballet. Amongst the places to eat was the famous River Cottage Cafe and places to relax included Dingly Dell and the spoken word tent. This was a very well organised festival and all who attended seemed chilled and relaxed including the security guards and police officers.
It has been absolutely impossible to represent the festival with one particular image and so i present to you my portfolio of images @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/lemonsplashphotography/sets/72157621740496663/ You will see a variety of styles used to convey the mood and atmosphere of the event. Some of my favorites are the Holga processed images as the festival had a very nostalgic feel to it. They convey to me the feel of childhood and what it should have been like. I hope you enjoy the set of images and if you haven't yet been to a festival maybe it will entice you to find out about one near you.