Well 2020 is the third (& final) year of CiscoLive! in balmy Barcelona at the cavernous Europa Fira convention centre.
I’m just back and still recovering from the 17 degree heat – which returning to stormy Cornwall is a bit brutal. I was getting kinda used to it.
I love shooting CiscoLive! – it’s always a genuinely interesting event with plenty of future technology and Bladerunner-style IT discussions.
This year was no exception. Actually it was better. More dynamic, more visually interesting to shoot – plus as photographers the client had given us the ‘go arty’ brief…which is always very, very welcome. And shows a degree of trust in us, hopefully…
So…lots of blurred backgrounds, spontaneous moments and sharp details.
The highlight was closing keynote speaker Richard Browning…aka Iron Man…who arrived on stage flying through the air in his jet pack.
Talk about making an entrance – the thousands of delegates seated in the hall were spellbound. Meanwhile I was desperately trying to hunt him down, mid-flight, in the dimly-lit gloom…and luckily got a bit of magical backlight. And the kerosene engines glowing orange…boom!
The majority of the conference is exhibition space…and good old-fashioned speaker sessions. I love catching individuals in the audiences…lost in the moment.
But what’s this? Some dynamic and truly engaging speakers energising their audiences? I definitely wasn’t expecting a Mexican wave…but I got one.
In the exhibition spaces there were plenty of technology-based stands and games to play – like the Rain Wall – photographic projections onto umbrellas surrounded by a curtain of water…
…and the Grid – where delegates had to simulate switching on a country electricity system:
The week ends with a party. A big party…this year headed up by the eternally optimistic Nile Rodgers and his band Chic whose universality and unmistakeable groove had everyone up & dancing.
Out in the crowd there were a few other famous faces too…
And on other stages there were dancers, roller girls and a monster half-pipe skateboarding show…
Thanks Sean Barnes for a great week’s shoot – again (it’s the fourth) and also the excellent Ben Phillips. It’s not often as photographers that we get to work in a team – just at big commercial events like this – and it’s an absolute pleasure. Well…except for the constant Canon Unicorn Camera chat…just go Sony Alpha guys!
