Notting Hill Carnival

Nexus

Nexus

Nexus

Soldato
Joined
13 Feb 2003
Posts
10,631
Location
London
Has anyone shot at Notting Hill Carnival before?
I'm usually busy when this bank holiday falls, but am free this year and it seems a great event for taking some shots.

Are there any tips anyone can give?
Such as the best place to shoot the parade from?
Timings?
Areas to avoid?
etc

Cheers!
 
Get ready for endless crowds and carry too much gear with you I would say! I've never shot something like it before but from what I remember when I lived very nearby just off Ladbroke Grove, it was mayhem and people were regularly warned about pickpockets lol
 
get there early. Once you hit 11 or 12 (that's a guess, I can't really remember what time) it's just a mass of people and no chance of getting good shots.
If you're there early then there is loads of space to walk around and lots of the people in the parade will smile specifically at you or pose for shots which makes a lot of difference

If you're just there to photograph the people taking part you might as well leave after this unless you want lots of pictures of the back of random people's heads and maybe their arms holding up cameras :p (or you're a giant, or you own a drone)

weather not looking so great this year...
 
Last edited:
It's an absolute nightmare even without taking a camera, my old tip would be to worry about yourself. As soon as meeting someone or a group of people comes into the mix, everything goes wrong. Good luck :).
 
Thanks for the info.

I wasn't planning to take a huge amount of kit, as it has had issues with crime through its history. I'd likely just take just a standard zoom (24-70) and a flash on a bracket. Judging by other photos I've seen, the parade route doesn't have barriers, or most of it at least, which obviously means you can get fairly close. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Unless things change based on seeing some friends at the weekend, it currently would just be myself. I totally see what you are saying though xibinim, if I was going with friends, its difficult to shoot properly so I would ditch taking my gear, as its then just about partying.

I have seen some tips similar to what you suggest Zogger, which suggests that because it starts at 10am, if you get there then, you can enjoy the Carnival route long before most people actually turn up and it gets really busy. So that seems like a pretty good shout, as if I'm just shooting on my own, I probably wouldn't be hanging around if I can no longer get in a good spot to take shots when it gets busy.

Another tip I read is that one of the best places to get shots of the parade is the point where they are in front of the judges as they all really go for it there. However, I don't know what the setup is like, presumably quite a busy part by the nature of it being important?

I'm also assuming that the busier areas are where the Soundsystems are setup as thats what a lot of people go for.
 
Nexus said:
Another tip I read is that one of the best places to get shots of the parade is the point where they are in front of the judges as they all really go for it there. However, I don't know what the setup is like, presumably quite a busy part by the nature of it being important?

I'm also assuming that the busier areas are where the Soundsystems are setup as thats what a lot of people go for.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find it will ALLLLLL be very busy lol :)
 
If you find somewhere you can overlook things then a (small) tele and a WA could be very productive. Otherwise I'd use a WA and get in the mix. Fantastic event though it can be sketchy if you're not wise to things.
 
Nexus said:
I have seen some tips similar to what you suggest Zogger, which suggests that because it starts at 10am, if you get there then, you can enjoy the Carnival route long before most people actually turn up and it gets really busy.
Click to expand...

It even says they start taking to the road at 9am on the website... I guess they must be there preparing for quite a while before it properly starts - I don't know what it would be like that early though!

I've only ever uploaded one picture from notting hill - apparently it was at 12 on Monday (although it's entirely possible the clock wasn't updated for bst)

IMG_2200.jpg by TheRealZogger, on Flickr

(annoying mug though ;))
 
The weather really isn't looking good for Monday, so not sure what they even do in bad weather? I bet a lot of dancers get pretty fed up, especially if that rain also brings some chills given the recent temperature drop. If its bad, I'd guess it will also deter people from going.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom