KPOP.Flex – Deutsche Bank Park 2022
Stadium concert photography at Europe's largest K-pop festival, at Deutsche Bank Park. This event attracted thousands of fans from all over Europe and…
Frankfurt am Main, Germany's vibrant metropolis, became the epicenter of the K-Pop wave in 2022 when the magnificent KPOP.Flex Festival took place in Deutsche Bank Park. This event attracted thousands of fans from all over Europe and provided an unparalleled stage for some of the best K-pop artists.
KPOP.Flex is not just an ordinary music festival, but a celebration of Korean culture, music and art. The festival combined elaborate stage shows, interactive fan events and exclusive merchandising stands to create an unforgettable experience.
The festival's lineup was impressive and included both established K-pop groups and emerging talent. Each performance was accompanied by impressive light shows, dancing fans and the unmistakable energy that makes K-pop so special.
A stadium is the hardest stage there is to photograph. The pit sits fifteen to twenty meters in front of the stage, the LED wall behind is brighter than any spotlight on the faces in front of it, and the lighting changes on the beat rather than to the camera's rhythm. Expose for the faces and you get a white surface with people in front of it. So the exposure goes on the wall: a face can be lifted afterwards, a blown LED panel cannot be brought back.
Choreography is not photographed, it is counted. With thirteen dancers there is exactly one moment per eight-count when everyone is at the top — the frame with the gray overalls and the green gloves is that moment. You learn the count during the first song and press the shutter during the second.
And then there is the picture you have to turn around for. Four singers from behind, small in the frame, and in front of them the full bowl with forty thousand light sticks and a blinder in the middle of the image. A close-up of a singer could come from any date on the tour; this frame exists once, and only here. A promoter needs it, a fan wants it, and it is the reason not to spend a stadium show looking only forwards.
- Venue
- Deutsche Bank Park FFM
