Behind the Lens: Photographing Vera Blue at the Big Pineapple Festival

Ah, the Big Pineapple Festival. A melting pot of sunburned music lovers, questionable food choices, and the ultimate test of patience—trying to photograph a music artist while dodging overly enthusiastic festival-goers who think your tripod is a dance partner. This year, I found myself smack in the middle of this chaos, tasked with capturing the magic of Vera Blue’s performance.

Now, photographing Vera Blue isn’t like photographing just any artist. She’s got this ethereal energy—think fairy queen with a side of “I could destroy you with one powerful note.” So, the pressure was on. And did I mention the pineapple-shaped everything? From pineapple hats to pineapple-shaped drinks, I was pretty sure at one point I saw a pineapple-shaped human. If you haven’t been to the Big Pineapple Festival, imagine stepping into a surreal dream where everyone is oddly obsessed with spiky fruit.

Step One: Get In Position (Avoid the Pineapple People)

The first challenge? Usually, navigating through the crowd to find the perfect spot. Not this time. Sporting my media pass, a special location right in front of the set. Armed with my trusty Nikon camera and a prime lens that weighs as much as a small dog, I felt like an intrepid explorer wading through a sea of flower crowns, glitter, and inflatable pineapples. At one point, I swear someone’s parrot tried to land on me, mistaking me for a tree.

Finally, I found the sweet spot. Right near the stage, not perfect lighting, and just enough distance to avoid getting sprayed by the crowd’s homemade confetti (read: torn-up napkins). My lens was ready to capture every glorious moment of Vera’s set.

Step Two: Channel the Inner Ninja Photographer

Vera Blue stepped onto the stage, and the crowd erupted. It was like watching an indie goddess emerge from a haze of stage smoke and neon lights. I, of course, immediately started clicking away, channeling my inner ninja photographer, moving stealthily between swaying festival-goers.

But no amount of stealth could prepare me for that moment. You know the one—a rogue beach ball bouncing directly towards my head at 100km per hour. In a split-second decision, I ducked, camera held high like a protective shield. As the ball soared over me, I could feel the universe laughing.

But here’s the thing: when you’re in the zone, everything else fades. It’s just you, the camera, and Vera Blue. The music pulsed through the air, her voice soaring through every note, and I was snapping shot after shot, trying to capture that ethereal glow she seemed to radiate.

Step Three: Don’t Drop the Lens (Or the Ball)

The real challenge of the day? Trying to switch out lenses while balancing my camera bag on top of a pineapple-shaped bin? No. Focus and perfect exposure. Note to self: don’t get a new lens just before a photoshoot

At one point, I fumbled my 85mm prime lens, almost sending it hurtling toward the ground. In a moment of sheer panic (and probably divine intervention from the photography gods), I caught it just in time. Disaster averted.

[I didn’t actually almost drop anything, just made that up to make this more interesting]

Meanwhile, Vera was absolutely killing it on stage. I could see her energy feeding off the crowd, and I knew these shots would be pure gold—as long as I didn’t drop my camera next.

Step Four: Post-Processing Magic (A.K.A. Fixing My Mistakes)

After the show, I headed home, sunburned and exhausted, but excited to dive into editing. And let me tell you, capturing Vera Blue’s performance is one thing, but editing photos from the Big Pineapple Festival is a whole other adventure. The lighting? Perfection. The glitter-covered, pineapple-clad crowd in the background? Not so much.

Cue post-processing magic. A little dodge here, a little burn there, and voilà—Vera Blue’s ethereal vibe was back in full swing. I even managed to remove the overly enthusiastic guy in the pineapple costume who photobombed half my shots. (Photoshop is a gift.)

Surviving the Pineapple Jungle

Photographing Vera Blue at the Big Pineapple Festival was an adventure, to say the least. From dodging beach balls to capturing her otherworldly energy, it was a rollercoaster of a day. But in the end, I got the shots. Sure, I may have left with more glitter on me than I thought humanly possible, but I also walked away with some incredible photos.

And hey, if nothing else, at least I learned one thing: always respect the pineapples. They’ll sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Joking aside, Vera is a force of nature with a stunning voice. A total privilege to be present with my camera.