Exercise: A public space.

Outline: Transfer your attention from an organised event to a public space.

I'm going to take this opportunity to use photographs from Sonisphere Festival 2010 for this exercise. Again, at this time of year, there are not many people out and about so I will use photos I already have.

In a festival scenario, the whole event is organised but not in a way that everyone is limited, like at a concert or gig. The music is there but what you do with your time during the entire event is completely up to you. If you dont actually want to go and watch any of the live music, you dont have to. You can just sit around the campsite if you so desire. And this is the aspect I have included here. A selection of people making use of their time in whatever way they choose and to give you, the viewer, a small insight into a typical festival campsite.

Individual camps

Although the campsite is just a few big fields full of campers, you will find a lot of people will camp in groups as shown above. Whether it be groups of friends who have met previously or people deciding to group together with their camping neighbours, it's common to see many camps as shown above with the tents all around the outside and a communal area to sit in the middle.

 

Inter camp socialising

The main point of campsite activity is basically to socialize with your friends hence the above being the most common sight amongst the individual camps.

Visiting other 'camps'

Socialising amongst others

There may be individual camps who know people from other camps too, hence making visiting friends another campsite pastime. Festival goers tend to be really friendly as you all share a common ground of the music that is being played there so it's not difficult to make conversation with other people who you may not have known beforehand.

Dress up

Sonisphere Festival will have a different themed day every year

Others dress up in the attire for the band they are seeing

Dressing up is another part of festivals.You will always see people dressed up, whether it is following the image of their favourite bands, using facepaint and costumes, or just plain old good fun. Sonisphere will always announce beforehand their 'theme' for the dress up day, above the theme was 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' , and people will dress up in their thousands using the campsites to get ready.

Sonisphere Festival 2010

Conclusion: I know that this doesn't follow exactly what the exercise was asking but it is similar in the way that it is a public and communal area of space that groups of people will use in a variety of different ways. I dont feel conscious of using my camera in a festival setting. I am documenting it for my future memory but I also find that people tend to love having their photos taken in this setting. Ironically, it's usually the people who I know that will complain more than me photographing a total stranger. At my local park, obviously I would feel very different and there are different factors to take into consideration. The people at the setting above have very few limitations. Everyone is there for the same reason and as I have stated before, they have common ground which makes it easier as everyone is friendly and more relaxed. Photographing a non specific event in a family friendly public place could arouse suspicion from others around you, especially when there are children around and openly photographing others could result in a confrontation. So I am always dubious about where I point my camera in a public place.