Reading Festival... a massive event with all the major press agencies and many newspapers represented. This year I had access to the main stage for the two days I was there- which was incredible. My brief however, was to look for pictures that perhaps other photographers wouldn't find- not to submit similar pictures to anyone else. Here are a couple of those...
Where's Wally?
Florence and the Machine, with some fans in the VIP area.
Now for the music. The experience of being a Main Stage photographer at a large festival is electric- harnessing the full force of energy from the crowd to the performer, and from the performer to the crowd- I found myself standing on a step ladder in the middle of the two. At Reading, you also expect the occasional shoe being thrown forward from the crowd- or even a bottle full of what many optimistically hope is beer, even though the liquid smells more like a gents' urinal than a pub. Add to that the constant stream of young people being pulled out from the front of a packed crowd by the security team, many fainting or unable to stand up, and it creates have an intense atmosphere.
It is common practice that the 'pit photographers' can only stand in position for the first three songs- so there is always pressure to get a decent shot early on. Here are some shots from both the Main Stage and the Radio 1 Stage...
Jesse 'Boots Electric' Hughes from the Eagles of Death Metal.
Jack Penate.
Florence and the Machine.
The legendary Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), playing with Them Crooked Vultures.
Maximo Park.
Alex Turner of The Arctic Monkeys.
On the Saturday night, I had one of the most electrifying experiences of my career (and life) so far- The Prodigy. In the build up to their set, as the sun was setting, I stood on my step ladder in front of the centre of the stage, watching thousands of people jostle for position, faint, throw beach balls in the air, throw bottles in the air and throw their friends in the air. The atmosphere turned extremely dark- The Prodigy are threatening to look at, and pulsating to listen to. For as far as I could see there were silhouettes of crowd surfers, and the rate of people at the front of the crowd fainting per minute was insane. I turned to the photographer next to me to ask if he had photographed them before, and if so, whether he had any advice. He said "Keith Flint will run around, he may jump off the stage- the lights will be every mad colour, and there'll be strobes everywhere and probably loads of smoke. You won't know where you are. Just take as many shots as you can in fifteen minutes and hope for the best!" Here are a couple of my efforts...
More pictures from Reading Festival 2009 can be seen on my website...
www.blakeezracole.com
