The 2017 Glastonbury Festival was an absolute belting success, and thanks to my friend Mandy who sorted out a press pass for me, I was lucky enough to photograph the festival. The weather was great, no mud! There were a variety of bands playing such as London Grammar, and of course the Foo Fighters.
What struck me was the sheer amount of people enjoying the festival. You see it on the TV but nothing beats actually being there. The festival has been going for 48 years now thanks to the mammoth efforts of its organiser Michael Eavis.
I spent a lot of time in and around the Pyramid stage, where I captured a set of atmospheric images. The sea of music fans with flags fluttering from long poles. The flags range from national flags to county flags, there were peace signs, and band flag, as well as a huge range of homemade banners and garlands. I always enjoy capturing photos of festival flags, they always manage to portray the spirit and energy of the event.
The outfits people were wearing just blew me away. A lot of people had thrown conventionality out of the window, to don a range of eccentric and bold clothing. Colour and pattern were the order of the day, with bright prints and bold accessories all adding to the party feeling. I made sure that I got plenty of photos of wigs, hats, makeup and moustaches.
Glastonbury really does have something for everyone. There are some superb art installations that simply boggle the mind, sculptures made from wood, metal and even sand. There are stalls where you can buy a range of ethically sourced goods, a huge diversity in food stalls, tents where you can dance, chill out or meditate as well as a whole raft of workshops, and challenges to get involved with. It's little wonder that the Glastonbury festival is so popular.
People were happy to be photographed, it all added to the spirit of the event, Hopefully, I'll be at Glastonbury 2019, taking more photographs of the artists and revellers.
Here are some of my favourite Glasto 2017 photos. If you see yourself or your friends in the photos and would like to buy prints please get in touch.
Mark Tierney is a Yorkshire based Contemporary Wedding Photographer covering the UK and beyond.