Festival Photography in Action: San Antonio Fall Festival Highlights

Adventure and experiencing new things are something I appreciate a lot, but I often find myself in those opportunities more when working in media. An open road with crisp fall air (for San Antonio, that’s 60º) driving south to Floresville, TX, was a great way to start this media day.

This October, I had the privilege of photographing the San Antonio River Authority's Second Annual Fall Festival! I knew this day had a lot to cover and capture, so I had to prepare and make sure I had all I needed to create a visual story of the festival.

Gear Selection

Equipment matters; I can’t tell you how much more freeing it is to work in a field that requires high adaptability and precision when you have what you need to do the job. The most important gear I brought with me to this festival was my Nisi Variable Neutral Density Filter (VND).

This piece of equipment, with a couple of cheap extra adapters, can go on any of my lenses and allow me to limit the amount of light coming into my camera. This is really important for events like this one, which occur during the peak hours of the day with intense sunshine. It also allows me the freedom to have more control over the aperture setting for my lens. This basically means I can get images to look softer and dreamier with a greater aperture—something that helps a lot when the sunlight is harsh. Here are some examples of photos with and without the VND.

Aside from the filter, I mainly focused on lens choices. For events, I’ve really come to be a zoom lens kinda guy. If I can’t change my focal length on the fly, I risk missing a crucial shot or just a cool moment. The lenses I rotated between were the Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 and a good ol’ Canon 70-200 f/4. This allowed me to get various perspectives around the festival and avoid visual redundancy (which can happen easily in event photography).

Event Experience

There were some memorable moments I’ve reflected on from the festival. First, I really enjoyed the car show they had—I feel like it elevated the overall experience to another level (I'm biased as a car enthusiast). I had the goal going in to take photos of all the owners with their cars, and I managed to get a fair amount of photos for that project.

The band that played, Small Town Habit had some real talent. As I was roaming the stage, taking different angles, the bass player saw me snapping some photos and immediately cracked a smile. That was refreshing because, oftentimes, artists tense up when they notice you taking their photo. That bass player, though—he was in a groove.

The biggest challenge I faced that day was definitely the dust storm. As I was photographing the band, there was a startling moment when the lead singer shouted from the stage, “Oh, look out!” I had not seen the massive amount of dust being swept into the air, along with a chair being carried off with it.

I was constantly having to clean my viewfinder and lenses in order to see my screen and keep my photos from being coated in dust. It also wore on me physically, as it made me feel more parched throughout the day.

What I Learned

Covering this event instilled in me the importance and value of sincerely hustling to do the most to ensure I get the shots needed or see opportunities as they arise. It can be easy to slip into the mindset of not wanting to look silly or overly eager. I’ve learned, though, that vulnerability often produces the most magic.

Conclusion

If you have a community event or something that could use my help, it’d be my pleasure to tell the story of that day for you through visual media! You can also support me by giving me a follow on Instagram @step.back.studios