Manchester Punk Festival 2025
Manchester Punk Festival is one I keep coming back to.
I was putting up some framed live music photography in a local bar when I overheard two people talking about a punk festival. Conversation started and it turned out one of my favourite bands were on the line-up the following year. Jumping at the opportunity to photograph them, I managed to get on board covering the festival. Serendipity. And actually got an unprompted fist bump from the lead singer as they walk off stage from their headline set. Haven’t washed my hand since.
It’s an interesting shoot. 3 days. 4 if you include the warmup. There’s no real brief. Or at least not in the way other jobs have one. It’s my opportunity to get creative. Test out methods I can’t on more straight cut jobs.
That’s what I like about it.
It’s one of the few times I can lean into instinct a bit more. Shoot too close. Overexpose. Accept that some frames are messy. Follow the vibe rather than trying to control it.
Not everything lands, but I like that.
Speaking of trying out new things, I chose to put a reel together from some footage I grabbed during the weekend. Edit below.
It falls at the start of the year, which weirdly sets the tone for everything that follows. It’s still all events at the end of the day.
A few years in it started getting a bit crowded on the photography side. Too many of us covering the same sets, getting in each other’s way. So we tightened it up a bit. Fewer photographers. Clearer boundaries. Better for the bands.
Strangely, it sharpens everything else. When you’ve worked in rooms like that, walking into a theatre or conference feels calmer. You know where the edges are.
Different settings. Same parameters.
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