My 10 Favourite Images of 2016

It's that time of year again when I share with you my favourite 10 images of 2016. These are my personal favourites. Images that I love because they have emotion or capture a special moment. 

Looking back at my images for 2016 I soon realised I had a lot of great images to pick from. This is always a good position to be in!

So Let's get straight into it and let me show you my 10 favourites.

As you can see It was a bumper year for me.   I got the chance to photograph some of the biggest artists on the planet as well as some of the most interesting new bands out there. If 2016 is anything to go by I can't wait for 2017. 

Want more?  Why not check out My 5 Favourite Bands of 2016 or look at My Top 10 Images from 2015 and My Top 5 Bands of 2015. 

My 5 Favourite Bands of 2016

Every year I get to photograph lots of bands and artists covering all sorts of music genres.  My primary focus at those gigs is to get great photographs but when the 3 song limit has been reached I normally get to watch the rest of set.

So in this blog post I'm going to tell you about the 5 bands that had the biggest impact on me in 2016.  These are the bands that I personally enjoyed.  In most cases I knew of the band but it wasn't until I saw them live that they really captured my attention.  That's the power of live music for you!

It was a real year of musical discovery for me.  I'd never really considered Mumford & Sons and Years & Years before but their shows at The Radio 1 Big Weekend in Exeter blew me away.  I guess sometimes you have to see a band live to appreciate them.  Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer was one of those acts that just make you smile and enjoy yourself.  Tiny Folds are one of the best local (Teignmouth) bands about.  They are epic live!  Last but not least is Chvrches.  With wonderful vocals and a great electronic sound they are never too far down my playlist.

So there you have it.  2016 was a great year for music.  Do you want more though?  Why not check out My 10 Favourite Images of 2016 or look at My Top 10 Images from 2015 and My Top 5 Bands of 2015. 

Glas-Denbury Festival - 15th and 16th July 2016

When I shot Glas-Denbury last year it was one of my photographic highlights of 2015.  A great line up, awesome crowd and fantastic weather.  Well, I'm pleased to say that Glas-Denbury 2016 had all those elements and then some!

As usual my blog post is going to focus on the images I took but if you are looking for a full review my good friends over at MusicMuso will be posting one up really soon so keep an eye out for that.

So, let's get straight into those images...

Friday

Saturday

The People

So there you have it.  What a festival!  Shooting festivals is always challenging as you are constantly going to from stage to stage, but with that comes variety and excitement.  So yes it's hard work but I've ended up with a great set of images that I hope you have also enjoyed.

I'll be back in a few weeks time with another special festival blog post so tuned to The Unplugged Blog.  Remember though if you want see some images as they are shot live from the gigs follow me on Twitter and Instagram!  See you next time!

Radio 1 Big Weekend at Powderham Castle, Exeter - 28th and 29th May 2016

When I heard that Exeter was going to host this years Radio 1 Big Weekend music festival I soon cleared my calendar.  There was no way I was going to miss shooting some the worlds most biggest artists while they were only a few miles from my doorstep.  Normally I'd have to travel a little further for this kind of shoot.

I'm really excited to share these images so I'm going to save the rest of my thoughts for later on in the blog post and get straight into the photographs.

BBC Introducing Stage

In New Music We Trust Stage

Main Stage

Saturday

Sunday

The Crowd

Gear

I hoped you liked the images, but in case you are interested I'm going to talk a little bit about gear.  Aside from plenty of spare batteries and memory cards this was definitely a two body, two lens job.  The ability to switch between telephoto and wide quickly is really important as the action can be happening in front of you on the stage or behind you in the crowd.  For this gig my chosen gear was a Nikon D610 with 24-70mm f/2.8 VR and a Nikon D750 with 70-200 f/2.8 VR. Both are wonderful combinations to shoot with.

Aside from the camera gear though some essential items are sunblock, water and food.  Shooting a gig like this can be very busy.  Jumping between the press tent and three stages makes for a busy weekend and you don't want to be battling hunger, thirst and sunburn if you're going to take the best of images.  

The Experience

So what is like to shoot a big event like Radio 1 Big Weekend?  If I could describe it in three words they would be exciting, hectic, and fun!   There is no doubt that shooting festivals can be hectic.  With three stages and barely any gaps between an artist finishing on one stage and another starting somewhere else, you have to have a daily plan.  Without some sort of plan you will either burn out or miss someone you need to shoot.

It's also very exciting.  I still get a thrill as I enter the pit at the main stage and start shooting.  You can prepare by watching YouTube videos of the artists to see how they behave on stage, but every performance is different so you need to stay on your toes.

It's also fun.  After all, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.  I was located in the BBC Pictures tent and despite myself, the other photographers and the BBC staff being exceptionally busy everybody was enjoying themselves and there was always good chat while we walked between stages.

And finally...

My friends over at MusicMuso have written a full review of the Radio 1 Big Weekend and you read it over here.

My next festival will be Glas-Denbury in July.  As I did with this event I will be posting images live as they happen so remember to check out my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

See you next time on The Unplugged Blog!

Glas-Denbury Music Festival!

For my first festival of the year I took the not so long trip to Denbury for the cunningly named Glas-Denbury.  Though not as large as that other festival with a similar sounding name there was plenty to do and see, and of course plenty to photograph!  In fact I barely got time to post any images to my Twitter feed I was so busy going from tent to tent.  However, even though it was hard work it was great fun and I got to meet some awesome people.

I'm going to keep this post short on the words front and let the images do the talking.  If you are looking for a review of the festival, the music and the people keep an eye out on MusicMuso for a full write up!

It was a long day but I really enjoyed shooting  Glas-Denbury!    It's got everything a photographer wants from a shoot.  Lots of musical talent, happy festival folk and plenty of action.  I've still got lots more photos to process so keep an eye on my Twitter feed and I'll let you know when I've posted them.

See you next time on the Unplugged Blog!