Before the Show

This was intended to be a quick test shot while waiting for Natalie MacMaster to come on at the Ottawa Folk Festival in August 2005, but it became much more than that. In a lot of ways, I feel that this photo captures something of the essence of the Festival from the performer's point of view, and where they meet with the audience. The sound checks go on, instruments are prepared, and the audience waits with increasing anticipation. But at the heart, it comes down to simply playing the music, without pretense.