Notting Hill Carnival Photography 2023
Street Photography From Notting Hill Carnival
Every year, I head to Notting Hill Carnival with my camera - like many photographers do! I used to bring by video camera and take short films of the carnival but the last fews years I’ve just taken a medium format film camera. I find it harder to spend the whole carnival taking films when I could be taking in the atmosphere and choosing to snap just key moments.
There is so much I love about carnival, the clothes, the colours, the noise. But I really like the feeling of a huge amount of people coming to an area and there being the right balance of chaos and self restraint. Some people want to close the carnival down, or make it ticketed using crime as an excuse, but those cries are from the usual right wing press. There is so much joy at carnival. Compared to most festivals it is still an untouched occasion compared to the corporate sponsorships of most events now.
Using my new FUJI GS645s
This time, I took photos using a new purchase - my Fuji GS645s - using Portra 400 - I am very happy with the results, although my developing was a little off. I bought the Fuji medium format camera as I realised I have not really been using my Mamiya 7 - I’m considering selling the Mamiya - it is just too expensive a camera in some ways - I never want to take it out as I just see my self damaging it. The Fuji however is the right balance of a manual portable Medium Format film camera, but not so delicate that I feel scared to chuck it around my neck and cycle with it.
I also like the 645 format, with my other cameras being this.
I tend to go for a few hours as it builds up and starts to get busy. I don’t stay till too late. I do a whip round of the parade, and I go to some of the sound systems. As a photographer I tend to be a voyeur rather than a participant, and I always need to be alone rather than in a group. You get used it. You end up preferring it.
My mother used to always quote Christopher Isherwood “I am a camera”. That sounds about right.