Kitchener Blues Festival 2009

I went out into town today to photograph the Blues Festival. I already missed the beginning of it and was glad it was still going on today. I also got to meet up with a fellow Kitchener photographer, Sarah Lisk, http://www.saralis.com/, which I haven't done in a very long time and recently I wanted to make a point out of networking and getting to know some of the photographers in the area. Well today was definitely a great day for it!

But let me start off with the small details. I got to see Kitchener in a way that I haven't seen it in a while ...it starts to look a lot more like Waterloo than ever before, since City Hall put its mind to making the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly. Most of it is done and it is LOVELY! People were swarming King street oscillating between purchasing memorabilia and foods of all kinds from the tents set up in the middle of the formerly busy and car-stuffed King Street.

Eventually I met up with Sarah, her husband and their son and a frantic photoshooting campaign started. I am so glad I got a chance to capture some very unique facial expressions, as you will notice below in the images. One things that impressed me a lot was this: As I was photographing some people dancing and swinging to the music, as well as a puppy on a leash next to a wheelchair (don't ask why, the puppy looked adorable), I noticed a man(who later turned out to be Stefan Myles http://fandyphotography.ca) in a beige shirt photographing, at his eye with the viewfinder of a camera of admirable size, attached to which there was a lens of comparable size. I might also want to add that on his shoulder there was the strap of yet another large camera, with equally a large lens mounted on it. So I took his portrait and smiled at him, then returned to capturing unique expressions in the public. He made his way over to me and smiled at me telling me not to worry too much about the large cameras, there have been people making millions with small tin ones. The words he said may not have been exactly these, but nevertheless I felt encouraged.

As I felt that I need a new location to shoot from, I left Sarah behind squeezing my way through the seats, bothering many people while doing so and begging their pardon ...all in the name of photography. I eventually noticed that there were photographers beyond this metal fence right in front of the stage and that one could enter there through the side. So of course that is where I headed. At the entrance there were two persons armed with imposing and authority inspiring green shirts who told me that since I had no pass around my neck I would not be allowed to go any further. I nodded in agreement and turned around to head away when... the same gentleman with with beige shirt tapped my shoulder and as I turned around he put this pass around my neck saying "you've got 5 minutes" pointing towards the restricted area. I went in there and got as many images as I could, then returned to him when I felt 5 minutes may have been up. I shook his hand in gratitude, thanked him verbally and asked for his name. The man looked through his pockets and eventually with delight informed me that here was his last card. And he gave me his business card. To that I replied by handing back the pass along with my own business card and let me tell you I was glad! The photographer is Stefan Myles http://fandyphotography.ca

Another surprise followed, as I was going to leave, the gentleman in the green shirt who formerly informed me that I could not enter without a pass, let me know that now it's ok to go back. So ...gladly I returned and got some more images, to Sarah's delight and admiration who eventually joined me in there.

This is today in a nutshell. Pictures shall follow! OH! and let me tell you that as I left the concert it didn't take long for a huge storm to brew up and for it to start raining just as I was on the bus home. It did not take more than the 5 minutes I had from the bus station to the house for me to get soaked through and through! It was good fun though! and somehow, miraculously, neither my mp3 player nor my camera got wet or damaged. Today was indeed a gift from God!

Alright, alright, I'll post some images now! Enjoy!









When photographing this gentleman I thanked him for letting me take his picture and for some reason one of his friends told me, "don't worry you will see him again, at the gates of hell". I walked away but then realized I should have saved him the dissapointment and have told him that due to a certain event that I believe happened about 2009 years ago, I will not be there to meet him.


How appetising!



When will acoustic fans stop trying to compete with the electric,,,


David Clayton-Thomas began his amazing journey as a homeless street kid and developed into one of the most recognizable singer/songwriters in the world, to date selling over 40 milion records. In 1996, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2007, his jazz/rock composition “Spinning Wheel” was inducted into his country's Songwriter's Hall Of Fame. - http://www.davidclaytonthomas.com/


A fellow photographer. I love the look of concentration!





The Photographer: Stefan Myles http://fandyphotography.ca