From the Folsom Street Fair
September 28th, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized
Yesterday was good. I exposed a few hundred frames at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco and ended up with maybe 10-20 images that I think are pretty decent and worthy of posting. But that’s not what was “good.” Rather, it was coming to the realization later in the evening that I’m really tiring of shooting San Francisco events.
I love being out there in the crowd, where the people are great, everyone is having a good time, the music is thumping, and the overall energy is unbelievable. And I enjoy the rush of seeing a photo opportunity in the distance and then scrambling to take a few frames. Or patiently waiting for a situation you think might develop and being ready when it does.
But coming home and working my photos in post I realized most event photos pretty much look like all other event photos. It’s the energy of the moment that pretty much drives taking these photos. And as a result, they just seem empty.
It’s really tough to actually engage people at events. It’s not that people aren’t friendly, it’s that the environment doesn’t lend itself for real engagement – which is what really what interests me. There’s a certain energy that keeps everything in motion making that difficult. In the end taking photos becomes more about the pressure of coming back with images that are visually interesting and then stuffing a dozen of them into a Flash gallery under the guise of “documenting” (ha, what a load!) the day. That’s just not cutting it anymore.
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5 Responses to “From the Folsom Street Fair”
By Neeley on Sep 28, 2009
Now you sound like another great photographer: “The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
By Donald Kinney on Sep 28, 2009
Sounds like you should do some studio work.
How about some nudes? Please…
By Andy Frazer on Sep 29, 2009
I hear ya’, Man…
When I’m at an event like Folsom or Carnaval, the energy is amazing and I’m shooting like a machine. When I get home, I’m drained, in a good way. But when I review my photographs, there’s a big gap between what I see in front of me, and what I felt I was shooting when I was at the event.
Good point about the energy that keeps things in motion! It’s amazing how willing people are to give me 15 seconds for a (burst of) photographs. But no more than a few seconds. Then they’re off. Unfortunately, I need my 1-2 minutes to get my full fix.
The one exception that I’ve found is that new event in San Jose that I told you about on Sunday. Maybe because it’s still small, but I and a few other photographers had no trouble cornering people to model for the 1-2 minutes that I need.
Andy
By Rem on Sep 29, 2009
I know what you’re talking about. I think that part of the problem is constantly dealing with the known. Sooner or later cruising Market Street is going to have a dulling effect. Our mental photo sensors just don’t have the same intensity after a while. That’s what’s so great about traveling. Whenever you find yourself in a totally foreign, unknown environment, and all expectations about what is going to happen next disappear, we (or at least I) just seem to come alive in a different way, and the image sensor just seems to operate more efficiently. You need a change of venue.
Cheers…
Rem
By Jenzthename on Sep 30, 2009
My boy took no pictures of me at FSF; I wonder if you may have snapped one of me? I had about 20 people take my picture, and I’d love to have a keepsake of my first time. Does a chick in a black corset, big rack, ass hanging out, with a guy in a purple and black skirt with rainbow suspenders ring a bell?