HACKNEY CARNIVAL - Street Photography - Did you see the White Rabbit ?
Hackney Carnival
It's maybe not quite as big as Notting Hill but it is a real local community affair and an important date in the calendar for East London. This year's Carnival procession saw a massive crowd of over 30,000 people turn out to line the streets, share in the music, the dancing, the costumes and the ever vibrant procession. Over 20 different community groups joined in the procession this year with floats providing chest thumping bass along the route. Various sound systems were in action around the borough all day long and Hackney Town Hall & Gillett Square play host to live music from gospel to samba and my annual favourite; a very accomplished steel band, which for me is still one of the most magical of harmonic sounds.
Bigger & Bigger
It comes past my door and for the last few years I've got out and become involved with photographing the event. This year I took a black and white set and a full colour set. I'll post both. The black and white set focuses attention on texture and shape. It seems that as every year passes, it gets a little bit louder and a little big bigger. One day it might be more like Rio ! Although on a cool September afternoon when the wind lifts up and a bit of drizzle falls, we can easily remember we're in London England, not Brazil or Trinidad. A minute's silence was held this year for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in West London, near to where the Notting Hill Festival takes place.
Hackney Carnival Official Website
All images copryright Christos Hatjoullis (@outerground) did you see the white rabbit ?
Love it I can't believe that man had a white rabbit in his trolley how hilarious Alice in wonderland in Mare street. @outerground I am a fully fledge Hacktonian I was born and brought up in Hackney and yes I still live in the borough. Yes HACKNEY CARNIVAL IS LIT FULL OF LOCAL LOVELINESS. Thanks for posting these great pictures I didn't take any I have a few video of some of the local artist that I grew up with.
Hackney calling.. yeah the guy with the white rabbit often has a rabbit with him.
Very Alice in Wonderland ! nice to see a fellow Hackney Citizen on Steemit. I've only been here 16 years :) thanks for the shout .. following @sheapureness are you the shea butter guy from Broadway market? if so, we have met !
I like it!
Wowee what a fantastic photographing opportunity!! I love that you've chosed bnw... I can imagine how colourful it must have been, but in black and white the people really shine through. :)
thanks @johleen it's certainly a good exercise and you have to be on your toes to capture the shots among so many people all moving along, not to mention the crowds. getting a good spot is important. I find using a long lens allows me to capture a range of images from whereever I am and in this case a 70-300mm lens did the trick, even If sometimes I have to step back as far as I can to take it all in. I wasn't at the main gathering point in the square this year so the smaller street creates a different atmosphere. more local !
Yep I can imagine with those kinds of crowds (even in the smaller streets), it's very important to find your spot. I've not photographed anything big like this yet, and I think without a laser focus on what you're doing and what you want to shoot, it would be easy to kind of get lost in all the possibilities and end up not shooting anything?!
it's certainly a challenge and you do get gifts. I did not see the rabbit when I was taking the picture. It only appeared on the screen later !! and you do need to move around, feel confident to do so. You have to have your wits about you and it's really good practice. If you can shoot carnival, you can do anything !
Oh I love it when things appear in your photos that you hadn't realised were there! Also, when certain elements appear that add to the composition in a way you hadn't spotted when taking the photo as well.
Right, I need to start looking for local carnivals. Or perhaps start one haha!
It happened again yesterday. I was on the upper deck of a bus (great view of the city) & saw a billboard which had been filled in with a brilliant piece of street art which said BUY SHIT*.. I thought I wish I had been a bit quicker as I passed it, and then when I got home I realised I got it in the previous shot... anywhere people gather in large numbers is a great place to practice photographing crowds of people !
here's buy shit in shoreditch.. with tube train carriage office space in the sky !
Haha! Fabulous!
p.s. Yup, saw the rabbit!