We’re music fans here at Louder. Therefore, we test our plugs in the only proving ground we know – live music venues and band rehearsal rooms. Don't forget that a festival isn't just a big concert, they are often so much more. I love photographing the atmosphere and vibe of a festival as much as the performers. The outfits and fashion of festival goers, the setting or festival grounds, and all the other unique aspects of a festival are things I love to cover when photographing a music festival. When it comes to festival equipment, be ready with these appropriate bags, essentials for relaxing, and camping items. Bags Here are just a couple of popular and affordable pairs that I know would be great for music festivals: If you use a single camera, here are 5 tips for changing lenses faster. Photography Tips For Music Festivals

When your attendees don’t just see a brand, but have an experience with one, that’s a powerful thing. Take Absolut Vodka, who funded a sculpture made entirely of liquor bottles that lit up to the beat of attendees’ hearts. Because it engaged more than one sense, it made an impression. 5. Wow fans with virtual reality Along with music festivals, there are also Arts, Comedy, Theatre, Boutique, Family Friendly, Festival Holiday and Food Festivals to enjoy. Food lovers can sink their teeth into a variety of international delicacies, street food and great eats at most events this summer. Brand activation is anything a brand sponsors that adds to an attendee’s experience and helps to build brand awareness in a positive and impactful way. Take music festivals, for example — 82% of music fanswho attend four or more festivals a year are actively excited to experience the sponsorship activations there. Brand activations provide better experiences for your fans and help sponsors to create more meaningful connections. If you do decide to edit at a festival, I highly recommend the software Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits. This program is much, much faster for editing images than Lightroom. After making my selects, I'll then still process images in Lightroom. Before we get into the fun stuff, let’s touch on the crucial festival basics. If nothing else (but, we’ve got plenty of other ideas), make sure you grab these essential items.Sunglasses have been one of the cool things to take to a festival since the very beginning of festival, so you can’t go to a music festival without a comfortable pair of sunnies! I typically bring two pairs (with one in my bag) just in case I or a friend loses theirs. I have sensitive eyes thanks to Lasik eye surgery, and I really don’t like direct sunlight. I even get some use out of these at night, because the mainstages at festivals have crazy bright lights and the light shows can be intense. Tech gear can be overlooked when preparing for a festival. They’ve got the music there for you, right? But, charging devices and other useful technology can take your experience up a notch. However, attending a concert with a decibel level of 100dB and wearing 33dB-rated earplugs doesn’t mean the new level is 67dB. No, that would be far too simple! Instead, there’s a formula: deduct 7 from the NRR rating and divide the resulting number by two. This is the amount of protection on offer. Canyon Asphalt Grey shoes – I absolutely LOVE my pair of TropicFeel shoes, as they are all-terrain sneakers with 4-in-1 versatility. They are also waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about them being destroyed in the rain.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach like most earplugs, like the name suggests, custom earplugs mould themselves snuggly into the shape of your ear canals to provide a comfortable fit and keep unwanted noise levels out. Australia’s 20-year-old festival, held in North Byron Parklands in New South Wales since 2013, is known for its carefully curated lineup and quirky experiences like the dance-centric Tipi Forest, eccentric craft tents (with names like “Smash Those Bad Dream Catchers” and “Cool As F#%k Charm Bracelets”) and a music-filled kids area known as Little Splendour. Few festivals indulge their fans’ creative instincts like Splendour by finding as many ingenious ways to reinvent itself each year, including plans for a 2022 science tent with lectures and adult-friendly hands-on experiments. 17. Newport Folk Festival

Thanks for reading about my music festival must-haves!

Let’s talk about ear safety! It’s obviously extremely loud at festivals/raves, and you NEED to take some precautions to keep yourself from permanent hearing loss! Full-frame cameras like the Nikon D850 or Nikon Z 7II are my preference for live music photography overall and that's no exception for festivals. A full-frame sensor is larger and, all things being equal, will give you the best low light performance.