Edinburgh International Harp Festival 2015
Sixto and Juanjo Corbalán with their Sunday workshop
“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.”
Over the past few days I have had the pleasure of photographing the Edinburgh International Harp Festival. As some of you will know, if you have read my About Me section, I am a keen traditional musician and live music photography is a field I particularly enjoy.
Róisín Elsafty
This year was my first photographing this festival and it was a pleasure both to see old friends but also to make new friends over the course of the few days of the festival. In its 34th year, the Festival is able to call on the talents of some of the World's best harp players, young and old and there was a dizzying array of talent from the traditional, jazz and 'World music' genres including the Hermanos Corbalán from Paraguay who stunned everyone with their energetic and intricate playing.
As a festival photographer it is your job to capture both the large and the small elements of a festival. You have a responsibility to provide a historical record of the Festival which will be preserved long after the music has come to an end. From the set piece concerts to the moments of quiet reflection to the wonderful setting of the Merchiston Castle School where the Festival is located there is always something to be captured on camera.
To truly capture a festival you can't just view it from the outside. You have to become a part of it, to get to know the people you are photographing, to become a part of the community of the festival. Each festival has its own dynamic, its own character and its own characters as well. The more you get involved in the life of the festival the more you get to see and be a part of and the happier people are in having their photograph taken, whether posed or candid.
You can see some of my photographs from this year's Festival on my Facebook page. If you are interested in me coming and photographing a festival or a concert that you are involved with then please do get in touch. Prints are also available for all my photographs.