AFTER THE EVENT

So. It's been a while. Really quite a while. I began this blog filled with the best of intentions. With enthusiastic desires of producing regular content for people to consume, and of building, slowly but surely, a healthy archive over time. This is still my intention. But sometimes life hits. Throwing things at you which knock the wind from your sails and worry away at your stuffing until you become somewhat incapacitated. The last few months have been like this for me. It began with my mum having an accident and ending up in hospital for several weeks. There is a lot to that story but I don't think I will go into it now. Suffice it to say she's OK again and on the road to recovery, but it knocked me sideways. I had in fact put together a draft post about it, but as I hit publish the whole thing vanished. Once i'd got over my shock and consternation, in the end I took it as a sign that perhaps it was best left un-shared here. That, and some other challenges of the internal demonic sort ultimately led to my grinding to a digital halt.

Of late however, the proverbial sun has begun to peek out and dispel the fogginess which was holding me still.

So now, although a good deal further after the event than it should've been, It's time to start working through the backlog. Starting with Glastonbury.

I have been going to this enormous summer festival for a long time. My first one was twenty six years ago, aged 17.. Whoah. I've skipped a few since then but it's gotta be seventeen or eighteen times now for me. In all those years I have actually bought a ticket once. Every year before or since, I have found one way or another to be there as either a paid or unpaid worker of many different descriptions. I am currently involved in the lighter aspects of infrastructure at the Field Of Avalon. Myself and a small team of friends spend the final week leading up to the opening of the festival putting together a variety of finishing touches to the field and stage spaces we have there. Whilst not strictly a photographic gig, my position does mean that once it all kicks off I get some pretty cool access to our stages and I am basically able to shoot to my hearts content both front and back stage in the Avalon field.

Experience has taught me that there's really no point attempting to photograph at the other large main stages without proper access (think average punter type shot of small performer over the heads of a huge crowd). Instead I will usually head to the myriad of smaller tents and venues where the more intimate experience is to be had. Add to that the whole panoply of random craziness all over the rest of the site, and you have a pretty damn visually stimulating few days...

This year, Zillah and the two boys were there as well which brought an extra friends and family dimension into the equation which was fun :) 

I invite you back in to a slice of the summer. Click to view large.

B


ALL IMAGES SHOT WITH THE FUJI X-T1 AND XF18MM F2R, XF35MM F1.4R & XF56MM F1.2R 


STAGE FRONT


BACKSTAGE


INTERSTICES