Event Photography: Cambridge Jazz Festival 2025, Brass Funkeys @ The Junction

Faruk Kara
Jan 24
3 min read

I was sat on the sofa when I received a call from a friend of mine. Was I available for some event photography? He was due to photograph the Brass Funkeys in the Cambridge Jazz Festival the following evening but was too sick to do it. The concert was at the Junction. Was I free? Could I stand in for him? I was free, and what an opportunity. Thank you!

Mike gave me the remit; the Cambridge Critique was reviewing the concert for their site and needed half a dozen photos ASAP. Plus, the event organisers also had an expectation. Something they like is to have the band and audience, which makes for good promotional photos for future literature. One of the other things they like is to see all of the band. You will have your work cut out, Mike continued. The Brass Funkeys are a nine piece band, very high energy and they are constantly on the move. He signed off with a good luck.

I had photographed at the Junction on a couple of occassions so felt that I could deliver something. I don't like to feel too comfortable for a shoot. I find the fear of failure keeps me honest, and stops me from becoming blaise. There is the planning in my mind ahead of the shoot, then there is the execution. While shooting I will be thinking all the time whether I got that shot, but until I get home, I am remain apprehensive. People always ask whether I got any good shots, and my response is always the same, they all look good on the 2 1/2 inch screen on the back of the camera!

I arrived at the Junction with plenty of time to scope the venue. What I hadn't realised was that the Junction has two stages, and I was at the second, smaller one where I hadn't photographed before. Squeaky bum time as Fergie would say. The stage had a fence to create a photgrapher's pit in front of the stage. It sounds precious, but not having to negotiate a moving audience is a blessing. And unlike the main stage, the access was all around the smaller one. It is great to be able to shoot from the wings, however, there were two other photographers there so I was constantly making sure they weren't in shot.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention, the lighting wasn't as good as the main stage. My work horse lens, Tamron 24-70mm f2.8, is fast, but it was in at the menders. Instead, I was using a Canon 24-105mm f4, a much slower lens. Wisely, I had taken my Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens along, just in case. Unlike a lot of regular event photographers, I don't have two camera bodies, so it is about whether I can find space and opportunity to change lenses.

I'm glad I took it.

Before the Brass Funkeys came on, there was a student support band. A chance to practice and check out the other locations to shoot beyond the photographers' pit. In these really dark settings, shoot to the left, i.e. under expose and make sure the histogram is to the left and not to the right so over exposing. In digital photography, it is possible to extract details from the lefthand side of the exposure histogram; however, once overexposed, those details are lost and not recoverable. This is the opposite to shooting with film. So, work on the understading to set your exposure when the concert lights are on and then aim to take your shots in those moments.