The Leeds Digital Festival has been around for a few years now, but I’m fairly new to the concept. Kicking off on Halloween weekend with a full stage show it’s a month long celebration of all things digital, from what you consider everyday like music and phones, right through to some cool ideas like using Kinect to create human visualisation, or exhibits that show just how much things have changed in our own lifetime. If you want to know more about its roots, there are two blogs: How Leeds Digital Festival got here and where it could go (by Simon Wilson) and a ‘Who Where What Why When’ (by Numiko agency) that do a much better job of explaining the history and purpose than I could, but being into the media scene I wanted to do what I can to help promote it and find out exactly what will be happening. It seems a common misconception that the festival is for people in creative agencies to pat each other on the back but in reality it’s about everyone, helping people see what can be done with digital, maybe learn something new, and ultimately if nothing else, like the point of any festival – to have a damn good time.

So last Thursday I attended my first ever planning meeting and after hearing a few people start to talk about their ideas, grabbed my camera and asked a few of them to tell me a bit more about what the festival means to them and what kind of things will be going on!

As you can see, there’ll be music, games, food, activities for old and young, chances to learn something new, and the best part is if you have an idea, you can get involved. Tell us what you want to see by leaving a comment below or following @LDSDigital and sending a message

I’ll be making a few more of these videos as the plans go on, and hopefully see you there.

It was about five years ago, after coming back from New Zealand, that I started to get back into gig photography. Not being a professional at that time, or being linked to any kind of publication made it difficult to get passes for biger venues in Leeds, but thanks to a Ska band by the name of Mad Caddies (insert descriptive band bigging up here) that I could get back on the proverbial horse. This wasn’t just their gig though, it was the first Slam Dunk Festival in 2007.
The nights had been going for a while and competing against the likes of the then Carling Weekend, the line up was small but targeted. Ska Punk was the main order of the day with a little bit of up and coming in the likes of some crappy bands you’ve likely never heard of… OK that’s a lie, this is the gig that launched YouMeatSix and featured a striking performance from Paramore just before the release of Riot, an album that would see them onto much bigger things; but the point is Slam Dunk knew it’s audience but also supported new talent and it’s great to see it go from strength to strength for what it is today.
Now a supporting photographer for the Leeds Music Scene website, I’ve got a pass for the 2011 Slam Dunk Festival and while many things have changed, it’s a happy coincedence that this years main stage headliners are the same as back then – The mighty Reel Big Fish. In celebration I’ve put the original set up on my Flickr feed so go and have a look at how things have changed.
But what else if different? As a fledgling at a full day festival back then I got worn out pretty quick, and since then I’ve learned a lot from experience about how to get a great shot, but it was all on one stage. I’d make my way along the balcony of Leeds University refectory, down to the stage, snap away and then go back into the crowd for a drink and a breather. It was hard work but I came away with around five sets of pictures and it was pretty much like a normal gig, just with a few more support bands than usual.
Slam Dunk 2011 would be totally different. This was my first time shooting across multiple stages and the layout of the student union building in Leeds isn’t the easiest to navigate when you’re carrying a bag full of lenses, batteries, Speedlite and my trusty Canon 7D. With no joining backstage areas it was down to running with the crowd and beleive me some of those kids were eager to get to the front, especially for the likes of 3OH!3 and Framing Hanley on the Atticus stage. Credit is due to the security on the day though, and 99% of those frenzied teenagers were happy to help you passed after a quick tap on the shoulder and a glimpse of the camera – I wish all gigs were this easy to move around.
Start times were well organised to move between bands, but didn’t leave much oportunity for actually sticking around to watch anybody, although I made a few exeptions. The real killer was having to reset the timing and aperture values depending on the stage, as for most of the day daylight floods into the main hall, but the smaller Macbeth stage featured very limited lighting and almost every shot had to be accompanied by flash to get something out of it. One lesson I learned early on the day is always check your settings when you move into a new pit!
So by the end of it I was exhausted, surviving on merely a cornish pasty and a couple of bottles of Irn Bru through the day, but it was a great experience; Different challenges were around every corner but I proved to myself that although there’s always somehting to be learned, I can go forward confidently covering multiple stages should the need arise, and even got a couple of chances to really step out of my comfort zone and get creative with a couple of the smaller rooms.In particular my InnerPartySystem set stands out to me – I’ve shot DJs in clubs but this setting was different and a bit of quick thinking has helped me create my first abstract music set. But none of this would have happened without the music. To get a good photo the bands have to deliver, and Slam Dunk 2011 did this in abundance.

The trick is to create a strong contrast in your images, and this can be achieved with an off camera flash, or a bright torch. remember to turn off the built in flash on the camera as this will just light the whole scene.

Props can also help add an air of creepiness to your Halloween pictures, aswell as make a kind of gothic cuteness when used right – think Tim Burton style dancing skeletons and you get the idea:

And last but not least, have fun messing around – part of the appeal of dressing up comes from acting and posing, so don’t be afraid to try and eat your friends brains. Of course, this works much better if they’re unsuspecting….

As you can see there are a couple of sections already set up, it’s mainly to showcase my work for now, but keep checking the blog, I’ll be using this to add a more personal element and explaining techniques, how stuff works and what I’ve learnt from projects going wrong in the past.

I hope you enjoy it, whether an aspiring ‘tog or just a curious newcomer.

You can start here if you’re new to my music photography

Here’s a sample of what’s to come:

Links and information on Japanese customs

A guide to preparing for your trip to Tokyo

Lolita spotting in Harajuku

Weird and wonderful food and drinks, including ‘moo moo Fanta’

Ghibli Museum

TV! (not that we could understand much of it)

Cool Toys

‘Traditional’ stuff

Mt. Fuji

The NHK

and much much more…

In the meantime, keep you eyes open for my interview with You Me At Six, alongside a review of their Leeds show with photos. I also urge anybody in the area to catch Zebrahead with support from MC Lars on the 30th March. That will be followed up by a review but I can tell you now that two class acts will be on display here if they live up to past performances.

After that (with a couple of CD reviews mingled in between) I’ll be taking my long awaiting trip back to the land of the rising sun, so expect a couple of mammoth posts based on everything Japanese I can think of.

Oh, and I’ve not conducted an interview for quite a while so if anybody has questions they want me to put forward to the bands then comment away.

Tonight wasn’t a great night personally from a photographic point of view, but I’m a strong believer in using everything as a learning experience – even the most experienced photographers have off days. Perhaps the auto focus slips just before that great shot, the flash doesn’t fire, or you’re at the wrong end of the stage. That said , half of the job is editing – loking at your set and picking out the best to give a great impression of what happened on stage.

Speaking of which, there were five of us behind the barrier that night, so it was quite full, and after meeting the other ‘togs it’s only right I give a shout out to ‘Push To Fire’ – a fantastic ezine. Click for more Leeds Kerrang Relentless Tour Photos

Anyway, below is a selection of un-edited photos of the night. There are some great, some not so great, but each one tells it’s own story…

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/music/live-review/the-prodigy-doncaster-dome-january-21st-$1356415.htm

Kerrang Relentless tour later with All Time Low and The Blackout – we can expect some piccies from that one, and then Tuesday it’s off to Manchester to see the mighty Rammstein! Can’t wait!