MUSIC TO THE EYES

The festival season is here, and Adam Waring shows you how to capture the sights and sounds of a musical extravaganza

-  Adam Waring

Festivals offer lots of great opportunities to cut your teeth as a music photographer. Big-name headline acts share the stage with lesser-known groups and singers, and as well as the performers there are all manner of sights that are worth capturing with your camera.

There are a few things you'll want to consider, however. You really don't want to be carrying a bagful of lenses around with you all day, let alone having to change them in the chaos of the mosh pit. And security-wise, you don't want to leave your valuable kit unattended in your tent. So if you want to shoot a festival, a compact camera with a single lens is the way to go.

A standard zoom lens, like a 2470mm, enables you to take everything from wide-angle to moderate telephoto shots, but these are generally on the slow side with relatively narrow maximum apertures. and faster f/2.8 variants are bulky and expensive. With so much of the action happening in the evening, or inside tented arenas we opted for a relatively inexpensive wide-angle 35mm prime with a fast f/1.8 aperture. This would enable us to maximise low-light performance and shoot in the dingiest of venues, while the medium-wide focal length would allow us to get the entire ensemble in the shot. You'll have to get in close and zoom with your feet, though...

We spent a summer weekend at the Green Man festival in the beautiful Brecon Beacons of Wales. Whatever your musical tastes, and wherever you find yourself, here's how to capture shots that rock...