City Festival Photography

Several stages and locations in one day

A festival is spread across a whole area, so we start with the programme: which stages have to be covered, when the opening and the evening headliner are on, how long it takes to walk between locations. If two important items clash, we solve it before the festival, not during it.

At the same time we go through the practical side: accreditation and passes, which areas I may enter and which safety rules apply. I follow the organiser’s and the stewards’ instructions and never block performers, visitors or escape routes.

The photos in this article are from the street food festival within Göteborgs Kulturkalas 2025. My assignment was the street food festival; at the request of its organisers I also took a few photos of the rest of the kalas.

The stage, the performers and the light

Stage lighting, backlight and a large screen behind the performers make stage photos harder than they look. I shoot every act in several versions: a close-up of the performer, a wider frame with the whole band, and a full shot with the audience in front of the stage — the last one is what shows the place was full.

I move quietly in the stage area and never block the view for visitors. With open stages and short sets we plan which acts matter most, so no headliner is missed.

The guests: candid portraits

Guest portraits are what organisers use most: people smiling at the camera, groups of friends at the standing tables, visitors showing off their food. They can be published straight away, and the guests share them on themselves.

I always ask before taking that kind of photo, so everyone in the frame knows it may be published. I only photograph children if you as the organiser have a consent routine on site.

Exhibitors, food trucks and stalls

Exhibitors are an audience of their own, and they need photos too: the stall, the staff at work, the food, the queue at the hatch. They use the pictures themselves and are more likely to come back next year.

Tell me in advance which exhibitors and partners matter, and I shoot a short separate series for each one, with their signs and logos legible in the frame.

The evening: stage light, darkness and flash

When it gets dark everything changes: coloured spotlights, smoke, movement and very little light. These are the same conditions as in a nightclub. I have photographed at Nefertiti, Valand, Trädgår’n, Eight Nightclub and Balambaras — if I can handle a club night, I can handle your evening stage.

Where the stage light is not enough I work with flash, without ruining the mood of the picture or blinding the performers.