The reason festival photography is so striking and powerful is because of the atmosphere that comes across in the images. They instantly uplift you and make you wish you were there. It’s important to remember that although we may not be professionals, we are visual storytellers.
Festival photography also gives you the opportunity to capture extraordinary characters and personalities – some of which you wouldn’t see on a daily basis.
Our photographer Kimberly shares some of her tips for taking photos at the 2022 Irvine Global Village Festival. For such a large event, it helps to preview the event map and schedule ahead of time. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to arrive. Scan the area and find the best spots, positions and angels for the day. Sometimes you have to switch positions to overcome backlighting of the stages and avoid shooting in the direction of the harsh sunlight.
As the day progresses, getting the best shooting spot becomes harder as the crowds begin to grow. Make sure you stay focused on your goal and explore different angles of shooting.
Get a mixture of shots. Try capturing wider shots that set the scene; provide the viewer with a shot that displays the vast size and depth of the festival. Mix these shots with nicely composed detailed images such as pieces of costume or cultural displays.
Walking around with lenses and equipment will become hard work, so Kimberly brought just one camera and her phone.
If you’re taking photos with your mobile phone, remember to hold your breath for 3 seconds when pressing the shutter button. Holding your phone with both hands close to your body also helps to capture the most clear images on your phone.
Even though the photos you took are not to your satisfaction, you can use many mobile apps to enhance them. Kimberly has many apps on her iphone to adjust photos on the go. She recommends Wuta Camera, Foodie-Camera for life, Meitu-Photo & Video Editor and 黃油相機 Photo & Video.
See the photos Kimberly took at 2022 Irvine Global Village Festival
爾灣地球村節慶每年吸引成千上萬群眾，其中包括帶著手機、相機及各種器材的業餘攝影愛好者，他們各出奇招捕捉平日難得一見的服裝、動作、表情、影像，以及節慶中具有感染力的歡樂氣氛，事後再看當天的照片，讓人回味無窮，錯過了今年爾灣地球村節慶，來聽聽攝影達人Kimberly分享適用各種節慶攝影的小撇步。
節慶攝影最好事先參考活動地圖及節目表，規畫在可運用的時間內達成任務，特別是在大公園的地球村節慶，啟用附近八個停車場，如果要搭乘接駁車，更需預留時間，提早抵達現場。
節慶攝影充滿變數，要根據實際情況隨時調整，例如艷陽天、陰天或風向都會影響拍攝的效果。今年爾灣地球村節慶有一個舞台背光，對以舞台表演為主題的Kimberly形成相當的挑戰，得靠事後修圖才算大功告成。
今年爾灣地球村節慶現場有將近200個攤位，及分散在各處的6個表演舞台，為了減輕負擔，Kimberly只帶著一部單眼相機及手機。她拍攝了遠、中及近距離的多種照片，有些記錄了現場的人潮與大汽球地標，有些聚焦在南海岸中華舞團的妙曼舞姿，還有南海岸中華文化中心在文化展示區及兒童區兩組攤位的文化體驗活動特寫，用影像描繪出文化交融的歡欣與樂趣。
靠手機單挑節慶攝影也能拍出令人驚艷的鏡頭，注意在拍攝當下屏住呼吸三秒鍾，最好用兩手靠近身體拿穩手機，以確保拍出清晰的影像。如果照片不盡如人意，事後也可利用手機App稍作調整，Kimberly推薦幾款實用的手機修圖App: 無他相機、美圖秀秀、黃油相機及Foodie。