Barcelona Music Festivals on Film

Last June, music lovers from all over the world flocked to Barcelona for two of the biggest music festivals in the world: Primavera Sound and Sonar Festival. Lomographers @navoski and @jmcedo share their shots from the respective festivals and give us a glimpse of how they enjoyed their time.

Primavera

Credits: navoski

Primavera Sound has its roots in the 90s as a series of club nights around Barcelona. In 2001, the first iteration of the festival came alive with a 7000 attendance one-day concert at the Poble Espanyol. A curated lineup of both homegrown and emerging international artists set the tone for how the festival’s music programming would be in the coming years. Since 2001 the festival has expanded with the Barcelona iteration expanding to three days and global iterations in cities such as Porto, Los Angeles, and Buenos Aires.

From upcoming indie acts and underground DJs to living rock legends and top pop stars, Primavera has gained a reputation as one of the most exciting festivals for both performers and concert-goers. This year’s iteration was the biggest so far as it spanned 10 days and featured some of the biggest artists and DJs from all genres such as Tyler the Creator, Dua Lipa, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Honey Dijon, and Ben UFO.

Credits: navoski

Lomographer @navoski attended Primavera and shot the festival using her Lomo'Instant Automat. Her photos showcase her journey through Primavera, taking photos of some of the acts up close, as well as herself and her friends enjoying the music. Using the Lomo Automat for her Primavera photos was interesting as we don’t often think of bringing this camera to a concert. Her photos turned out excellently with the camera handling everything from atmospheric lowlight shots, balanced flash photos which retain the colorful lighting of the stages, and close-up shots of the acts and her friends. All in all, using the Automat for Primavera resulted in an intimate feel despite it being a 100,000 attendee event.

"Shooting instant photos is always exciting because of the unexpected results. Concerts are really tricky because there are so many factors, lighting, movement, and people that make taking pictures is a challenge every time but it is better when you are not seeking a perfect snapshot but rather the sensation of that moment. When you hear a song at a concert it’s not perfect, maybe it noisier or quieter, but it’s authentic. Instant film can give you that ambiance of that unique experience and you can literally have that moment in your hands." – @navoski

Sónar Festival

Credits: jmcedo

Two weeks after Primavera, Barcelona was once again host to another festival, though more focused on experimental and electronic acts. Sónar was created as a celebration of experimental music, art, design, and technology. Unlike Primavera, Sónar is not purely a music festival with talks, forums, and workshops being part of the Sónar by Day which allows people to join in the festival if they’re not looking to rave. Notable acts for the festival have included Björk, New Order, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Rosalia, Grace Jones, and Gorillaz among many others. Sonar has also expanded around the world with iterations in Iceland, Hong Kong, Turkey, and Argentina.

@jmcedo attended Sónar and took some amazing double exposures using his trusty Lomo LC-A+. Joan always brings his Lomo LC-A+ when he attends the festival and takes photos of his friends and strangers dancing the night away. He describes the photos as joyous people dancing to the clouds while music from another planet keeps them moving.

Credits: jmcedo
"The Sónar festival is three days of continuous techno, experimental and advanced music. I went on Saturday night and I could see Chemical Brothers, Charlotte de Witte (ultra explosive DJ from Belgium), the german Helena Hauff live set, Eric Prydz, Blessed Madonna…and many more which I can’t remember."
"Sónar is the totem of excellence in avant-garde music. In fact, often you will never know who will play but you will discover amazing acts along the way. The only thing sure is that you will dance till the sunrise. Sónar remains year by year like an oasis in the desert. There is no festival like this one as Sónar invites you on a journey to the underground and the future. You will discover by yourself atmospheric tendencies that will make you throw away your music files. You will smile and see smiles along the way. Every time I go, I carry my LC-A+. Lomography and Sónar fit together perfectly, things like them should exist together. And all this in one place; Barcelona. Sónar is Barcelona and Barcelona is Sónar."

Make sure to check out @navoski's and @jmcedo's LomoHomes for more pictures. Planning to go to any festivals or concerts soon? Make sure to post and share them with @rocket_fries0036.

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2022-08-26 #gear #culture #people #party #nightlife #music #concert #barcelona #spain #double-exposure #lomo-lc-a #primavera #sonar-festival #lomo-automat

Mentioned Product

Lomo LC-A+

Lomo LC-A+

Be an analogue photography pro with the Lomo LC-A family. Get the signature ‘35mm Lomographic look’ with shadowy vignettes, eye-popping colors and saturation.The Lomo LC-A is the Russian classic with customizable aperture settings. The Lomo LC-A+ has awesome added tricks like multiple exposure capabilities, extended ISO range up to 1600 and a cable release thread!

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