There's a park not too far which had a concert advertised, I was curious at first because it's quite a small park and usually there isn't a whole lot of life to it. It's a small Soviet era one surrounded by what was once factories. A few new-builds around which replaced much of the factory space, though it's still not the best park, nor the most convenient to get to. I suspected a small concert, a little stage and event. And in the evening as the time neared, I also started to suspect the event would be called off due to the heavy winds that were appearing. Still, I charged up my batteries and headed over there to see what was going on. And I was surprised at the sheer number of people that attended in the end. The largest event to which I have seen in my time in Armenia despite the small size of the park.
Usually the park is home to a few cafes, some are quite decent. There's a small pond which is home to some ducks and also features those little rental rowboat things. The odd little stand for some fast food items that aren't always functional. Though this time there was a market type of setup full of stalls that offered food and wine, and the stage which I couldn't even see due to the density of the people stood in the one small patch of grass that remained untouched, usually at least. This event started at 8:30PM, and the light was already quickly disappearing. So I felt a bit limited in what I could shoot here since I could only stick to the few stands with their artificial light. The density of people also meant that it was hard to find subjects even with the 35mm focal length of my lens, though I did opt for shooting with the 58mm Helios a bit towards the end, which was still great fun.
As is the case when I go to such events, the main attraction is rarely the point of interest for me. Instead it's the way in which people attend them. The way they interact with the space around them. And this gives me chances at finding, capturing, and telling little stories surrounded by everyday life. I love this style of street photography, where I just stand around, or walk, and just observe, trying to find something that stands out in a brief moment in time. Without overstepping and getting a bit too into people's personal space. Given there wasn't a whole lot of light to play around with, I just tried to find things happening around the main stalls. To think of it, I didn't see many other photographers there. Just one another with a similar idea that also had a flash with them.
I spent the majority of the time from 8:30PM here to 10PM, and the liveliness didn't die down at all, it only felt like more people would arrive even towards the end. The music becoming incredibly loud, booming and pumping into the floor throughout the park. The stage was massive, the lighting was impressive. I was a little worried about my hearing given how many of these events I had been attending lately, so I threw in the airpods for the noise cancellation to drown it out a little while I lingered around in search of subject. The most beautiful space was a large tend placed in the middle of the park, with a smaller wooden stage. Some night lighting and a bunch of greenery above. No idea if or when this might be used, though I'd like to find out for future events.
And in classic Armenian fashion, on my way to the concert there was a car crash. Again, scraps of metal scattered across the road. People just driving around. An awfully common sight lately, though it's interesting to capture. Something more different. Embracing a little bit of my inner Nightcrawler, I guess! Though I won't be orchestrating these incidents myself for personal gain anytime soon, I hope. Anyway, as I write this I'm preparing to run off to another festival, one that lasts three entire days and is focused on beer!