I first heard about Summerfest when an old school friend handed me a flyer in Tamangoes (The nightclub adjacent to the hotel). He knew I was a photographer and asked if i'd take a few pictures of the event. He was studying event management and this was his first big show.
The stage was just like the ones you'd see at a political rally outside the Dail or when a triumphant sports team returns home. It was inside a truck. Now that sounds very bodge job but it was more than adequate and made for a perfect stage with room for equipment and also connections for hooking up generators and lights.
Summerfest was a free outdoor concert that took place in the car park of the White Sands Hotel in Portmarnock over the course of the August Bank Holiday weekend. It was a fantastic little concert and an absolute pleasure to photograph. There was a big marquee set up in front of the stage with tables and chairs so people could shelter when it rained. I could also keep shooting with a telephoto in inclement weather which thankfully was rare. When the sun came out it was really relaxing especially as loads of my friends and local people turned up to watch. Sitting in the sunshine having a beer and shooting a gig is a damn good feeling.
As for the bands playing the organisers really did a great job of getting local talent out to play. Perhaps the most well known band would be The Kinetiks and they headlined the show on the Saturday evening. As you know they're now doing really well for themselves having played Oxygen and received rave reviews from the music media.
The headline band for the finale on Sunday was Day Jantus, a little known band who started out playing gigs in the Canaries before returning home to Ireland. They played a brilliant set that really got the crowd going and were the perfect choice to bring the festivities to an end.
Shooting the gig couldn't have been easier, no barriers, no security, no passes needed. So I could shoot from wherever I wanted, even inside the truck to the side of the stage. During the day I was able to use my standard lens, the not so great 18-55mm kit lens. It still did a good job but as the light faded I had to switch to the nifty fifty 1.8 to keep the shutter speeds up. I didn't have my flash at the time and seeing as there were no ceilings to bounce off, I probably wouldn't have used it anyway. The organiser was really happy with the shots and all in all it was a very enjoyable experience. I really hope they do it again this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment