This was my second year at the Abbey Medieval Festival in Caboolture, and the difference a better camera made was significant. The year before I had been shooting with equipment that could not keep up with the speed of the combat; this time I came prepared, and the results showed it.
The festival is unlike anything else on the Australian events calendar. Twenty-four thousand people in one weekend, all watching men and women in historically accurate armour fight each other with steel weapons while a medieval market hums along the perimeter and musicians play on the grass. It is completely sincere, which is what makes it so photographically rich.
On the jousting: The jousting is the centrepiece and it is genuinely spectacular — two riders at full gallop, lances levelled, hitting each other with enough force to shatter wood. Getting the shot requires understanding the timing of each pass. I spent the first run of each bout just watching, working out the rhythm, then shooting hard from the second pass onward.
On the melee combat: The group combat — multiple fighters on a field at once — is organised chaos that rewards patience. You cannot anticipate specific moments, so instead you find a good position, set your exposure for the light conditions, and keep shooting. The frame you want will arrive. You just have to be ready for it.
On the performers: What I appreciate about this event is how seriously the participants take the historical authenticity. These are not costumes thrown together for a weekend — many of the armour sets represent years of craftsmanship. That seriousness gives the photography weight. You are photographing people who have committed to something, and that commitment shows.
The festival drew a crowd of 24,756 in 2010 and won the Moreton Bay tourism award. I have been going back most years since.
More Abbey Medieval Festival coverage: Abbey Medieval Festival 2011 · Abbey Medieval Festival 2012 · Abbey Medieval Festival 2014