Notting Hill Carnival 2011
Saturday: Children’s Day
I generally go to the Notting Hill Carnival, but I have never been to the Sunday "Children's Day" before. This year, I went along and one thing I can take from it is that it is not worth going to when you could instead go to Adults day.
Children's day lacks a lot of the atmosphere that you find on the adults day. For me, there are two amazing things about the Notting Hill Carnival; firstly, there are incredible, outrageous outfits everywhere and secondly, there are guys selling Red Strip beer from buckets on every street corner. Neither of these things were true during the Children's day, most of the processions were people in t-shirts or kids, and on one occasion to get a "beer" (it was an American Budwiser, so Beer is being very very generous!) I had to go into a stall, down some steps and risk a Pulp Fiction moment.....
I was also amazed by the number of policemen and women around the place. I'd heard that after the riots the police presence was being ramped up, but I'd really not expected just how many would be around. Units of a dozen offices blocked of some streets, most side streets had a couple of people looking on.
I'm not sure they were needed, but then how can you ever know if prevention is effective.
In terms of photography, this is pretty much the defining use of my walkabout lens, the 24-105mm. With huge crowds you want to minimize what you are carrying around and with the carnival's reputation for casual theft you always want to be sure you've got a close eye on your belongings. As such, I just bring the body and the lens and a little bag for them. Nothing else. It does mean you sometimes can't get as great a shot, but at least 80% of what you are looking for can be done within these ranges and you've immediately made your risk lower. Plus, its a lot simpler to carry a beer around as well.
Perhaps my favourite image of the day however was catching a shot of a pair of policemen guarding the doughnut shop....
Sunday
The second day of the Carnival is far better, the colours are brighter and the atmosphere is more electric. I headed up to Westbourne Park to start the day.
Police presence was clearly heavy but came across as much more muted than the Sunday because the number of revellers was much higher. The police also gave a very relaxed and friendly vibe and seemed to be spending a lot of there time giving people directions to the right parts of the carnival.
Also unlike the previous day, drinks were everywhere, it was wonderfully easy to pick up a nice cold beer to take your mind of the pressing crowds.
The thing to really take away from the carnival as a photographer is the Colours. Colours; colours of fabric, colours of outfits, of vans, of banners and feathers. It is a riot of colour and noise and gleeful mayhem to a persistent beat. To capture a good photo of the Notting Hill Carnival is to try and capture some of that movement and sense of fun, its not about a posed profile picture or a shot of the crowds its about the feeling of the day.
If you've caught a picture of a dancer who isn't smiling, then you are missing the point.
Once again, I was using the 24-105mm lens, its a useful one and means I am carrying as little as possible. With more than a million people on the streets of Notting Hill your experience will be a lot better if you are carrying little and so are less in the way. In addition, in a press of crowds having a backpack on with expensive gear in it is in invitation to thieves, who can get close and open it up easily.
You will also be in people’s way on the parade route, so it is worth trying to find somewhere a little quieter to take photos than one of the main intersections because people can and will complain that your camera is in the way of their view.
But the biggest lesson here is to have fun! Don't spend all your time with your eye through the viewfinder, feel the beat and dance!