This is my second year living in San Francisco, and I love the city more day by day. I like taking my time with things, which means I have yet to run out of new experiences and at the same time, savor the moments.
So, Outside Lands 2024?!
This is an impromptu activity that did not materialize until maybe two weeks before. My best friend and I had quite a few overdue occasions to celebrate. Lillie's birthday was only last month, we had been friends for ten (TEN!!!) years, and I had just won the immigration lottery which means we will now be annoying each other for an indefinite period of time. Last year we went to LA for BeachLife Festival, and we are simply carrying on the tradition.
Tech Specs:
Naturally, I had to bring my camera to the party. As always, my trusty baby the Canon F-1. I fitted it with the 85mm lens for close-ups, and the standard AE finder (not the speed finder) for a better view when focusing manually.
For film stocks, I conveniently had two rolls of high ISO films - Kodak Tmax P3200 (which I shot at 800 ISO) and Portra 800. No flash, no tripod.
Challenges:
During the day, everything was perfectly fine. It was magically sunny, we said hi to the bison in Golden Gate Park, got front row view by the stages, bought overpriced food. I had no doubt my photos were going to come out at least somewhat decent. What I did do, however, was practicing focus. I knew it was going to be a nightmare once the night falls, so I took note of general spots where performers tend to stand, and check/refine my focus. By the end of the day, I got a pretty good hang of it.
Metering at night was very challenging, and not something I was prepared for. Unlike jazz concerts at bars, the strobing lights confused the finder. For high contrast scenes, the partial focusing screen tends to overexpose the main subjects (the performer). The best thing to do may have been to consistently underexpose by at least a full stop.
And don't forget, it was CROWDED. We turned around when Sabrina Carpenter came on, and we could not see the edge of the mob... It was impossible to practice a firm stance with the motion of the masses. I set my shutter speed at 1/125s throughout to avoid shaky photos with an 85mm lens.
Results:
All things considered, we had a blast and the photos captured the emotions we felt at the lively performances. I was slightly disappointed in the roll of Tmax P3200, which seemed a bit overexposed in daylight and I had to edit them a bit. I probably should have set the ISO at 1600 instead of 800. Better luck next time.
