Three years ago, if you were to interrogate me on my feelings about EDM, I would have expressed my indifference toward it. And while I'm still no connoisseur for artists of the electronic persuasion, I've definitely come to appreciate it.
Hence, when I was asked to shoot Mad Decent Block Party's Toronto stop, I decided to give it a go!
I've photographed DJ sets before at Bestival Toronto, WayHome, and TIME Festival but this was my first time attending a pure EDM jaunt.
DJs can be difficult to capture for a variety of reasons:
1) They are constant standing behind a table, meaning your shots will be obstructed
2) Their tables are sometimes on a raised platform, causing a less than ideal angle
3) Their arsenal of poses often seems limited to:
a) the fistpump
b) the outstretched arm
c) the two armed fist pump
c) the outstretched arms
d) the stare down at table in concentration
e) the stand on table
f) the scream
g) the outstretched mic
h) a combination of the above
As such, it can be difficult to capture a variety of well composed photos
Some friends advised me to rent a fisheye or wide angle lens for the occasion so as to better capture the scope and atmosphere at the event. I might have to try this out if I ever shoot an EDM festival again.
You can see the full set over at Live in Limbo!
Sleepy Tom
Slushii
A visible crowd was attending specifically for Marshmello's Toronto debut.
Louis the Child (or, at least, one half of them!)
Grandtheft
Nghtmre x Slander performing back to back
There's just something about Marshmello's helmet that makes me want to smile right back! With complete transparency, I can say that my main motivation for wanting to attend the fest was to photograph the smiling humanoid marshmallowy face.
Diplo's set was really difficult to photograph. He performed from a raised platform, and the evening's lighting choices left him cloaked in a permanent silhouette.
#concertphotography