Unlike most of the festivals that I have worked at in the United Kingdom, the festivals that we attended in China each only had one main stage. There were no smaller stages, vendors, or any other form of entertainment. There was no crowd flow, no food or drink stalls, just long stretches of waiting under the heat. This led to a crowd that is dedicated but also hard to please, especially when faced with an artist like Justin who sings entirely in English. By contrast, Western festivals I have photographed, whether in the United Kingdom or Europe, tend to be more fluid. Fans wander between multiple stages, discover new artists, grab food or drinks, and shop at stalls. The energy rises and dips with the day.

Then there is the weather itself. At one of the festivals, the temperature reached 40°C, and the ground was bare dirt instead of grass, turning the whole site into a heat trap. As part of the crew, it is standard to wear all black, but it did not cross my mind how much heat that would absorb. I was also wearing a cap and mask so that I would not get into other photographers’ shots. Midway through the day of running on and off the stage, I found myself with heat stroke, and later editing three thousand photos with a pounding headache and nausea. It was quite a humbling experience. While I usually focus completely on my actual work and on getting the perfect shot, shooting festivals made me realise that I also need to learn to pace myself as a working photographer, to hydrate constantly, and to factor in my own endurance as seriously as my camera settings.

All of this highlighted what shooting a festival really involves beyond clicking the shutter. A photographer must adapt to light and space as every stage has its quirks: harsh daylight, minimal lighting, awkward sightlines to name only a few. You cannot control conditions, but you can control your approach. You have to balance visibility and invisibility, being present enough to capture crucial moments, but discreet enough not to disturb artist or audience. You must build up an ability to work under pressure, because performances are fast-moving and there is rarely a chance to redo a missed moment.

Then, afterwards, thousands of photos must be edited and delivered quickly, often overnight, giving you little time to rest up. Over time, I have developed a few rules for myself when approaching festivals: always shoot a mix of wide crowd shots and intimate artist details; keep gear light enough to move easily; drink water whenever possible; and learn to edit on the go, whether on a train, backstage, or in a hotel room. These sound simple, but in the heat of a 35°C dirt field, with three thousand photos waiting on your laptop, they make all the difference.