Published blog for Harry Acosta, Columbus-based designer and photographer
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Festival Photography
Sunday had the earliest start time for the fest, and the most relaxing atmosphere. The third day was reserved for indie and folk musicians. Even the weather had calmed down to a more manageable temperature. A feature of the VIP areas at WonderBus this year was the ability to reserve private suites. There were several premium suites to relax and enjoy each other's company in the shade.
WonderBus music and arts festival is so much more with an emphasis on mental health wellness each year through many of the non-profit vendors on site and informative introductions before most stage performances. RADD Ohio had a booth by the third stage with hopes of making sure everyone got home safely.
To put it in perspective, Riot Fest in Chicago this year has 30 bands playing each day. Wonderbus has a total of 30 bands in three days at a similar price point. Of course, there are many specials run throughout the year to commit to the festival experience without paying full price. It is not a large festival, so on the first day, they allow people the opportunity to come out after work hours to start their weekend without missing any performances.
If you’ve had the misfortune of traveling with me, you know things don’t go as planned. I don’t mean you forgot to pack your deodorant and you have to make time to pick some up near your destination. I mean, you find out that your cousin Eddie has Asteroids, and you arrive at Wally World to find the park is closed. I’ve been photographing music festivals since 2014, where at my first festival, I fell asleep transferring files from my camera to my laptop. This caused the battery to die on my camera before the headliner performed on the last day—novice mistake. The next year, I bought a fancy, bluetooth hard drive that I essentially catapulted into the rain on the second day. None of the files were salvageable. In Chicago, I was pick-pocketed on the L and lost my tickets and car keys. I couldn’t go back to the show, or drive home.
Waterfront Park
Louisville, KY
Have you ever marveled at the improbable stacking of smooth and heavy rocks by an artist? It takes planning, balance, and an understanding of how to make them all fit together. It’s amazing to see everything come together in such harmony. That was Louisville, Kentucky’s Forecastle Festival this year.
It's the third day of the 2014 Nelsonville Music Festival. I'm shooting for Flush magazine out of the UK, and my battery is dying. Whoops, I forgot to pack a backup. I ask around the media tent if anyone has an extra battery, but my camera is neither a professional grade camera, nor was it manufactured in the last eight years—no luck. So in an attempt to save my battery for the main acts later that day, I resort to my iPhone 5s.
Welcome to the Neslonville Music Festival!
Shot with iPhone 5s
Great assortment of foods all weekend long
Shot with iPhone 5s
No BS Brass Band took the main stage midday Saturday.
Shot with iPhone 5s
I'm constantly amazed at how this camera performs. It is a stubborn 5-year-old. It's afraid of the dark, and needs a power nap every few hours. Given enough light, it can do great things though. Fellow photographer Meredith Underhill can attest to the grieve I took attempting to be creative, taking panos and selfies in the pit. After submitting my photos to Flush, it was a great surprise to see which photos made it to page one of Casey Bowers incredible writeup of the event. Way to go, little pano! I think I'll start using my phone more often … or actually get a professional grade SLR.
My favorite of the event!
Shot with Canon 30D
f /7.1 1/125 ISO = 400
