Chilly-Man Festival
A non-for profit festival run by friends, for friends, on a tidal Scottish Island.
Commercial, Street, Candid, Portrait.
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Jamie Garton
FOUNDER & ORGANISER
Toby originally volunteered as a photographer, but when he started helping us setup the festival, I realised how useful he was! The setup required couriering and setting up large amounts of tents, staging and other gear using quad-bikes and trailers, which he was very comfortable with. His work ethic and practicality made him a vital resource during the setup, he could and did do anything that was needed! Honestly we would have been in a lot of trouble without his expertise… Toby was one of the few people that stayed behind to help take down the event, another thankless job that required many early morning finishes.
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Sophia Graham Francis
CO-FOUNDER
Toby was such a dependable part of the team! He would do anything that was asked of him and even volunteered to do some of the grimmest jobs! He approached everything with smile and always did his best to lift others spirits. The photos he took of the festival really captured the vibe, looking back through them makes me so happy! He also did a great job of photographing our sponsors, which was critical to ensuring their continual support of the event.
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Rafi Mahmood
CHIEF RUNNER
Toby put in a real shift! He was there with us in the early hours of every morning and night setting the event up. Having Toby around meant that Jamie could focus on other jobs knowing Toby was getting it done. He used his skills and leadership to complete tasks and assign new jobs to other members of the team. Nothing seemed to phase him and he always got it done! He also took some fun photos of me! Thankfully he stayed around to clear up after the event also!
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Lucy Rogers
CHIEF LIASON
I’ve known Toby since we were kids, he has always been dependable and kind hearted, always willing to get stuck in helping out. I knew I could always turn to Toby for help or advice, trusting that he could take control of a situation when needed. After we had finished setting up, he still had to photograph the whole event which he took on with a big smile. Throughout the event he was everywhere and managed to capture images of everything!
The Set-up
Chilly Man is run by a small group of friends, each having a specialised role to play in the lead-up to the event. Months were spent procuring licences and permissions to run the event, securing sponsorships, organising gear rentals and various forms of planning.
I volunteered as photographer for the event, and turned up to event at the beginning of the setup process to capture the hard work required to create a successful event. I quickly realised my practical skills from growing up on a farm were more important than taking photos.
The festival was held on a tidal island, this meant there was only a 2hr window either side of low tide that the island could be accessed, as such there was a rush to get all the festival gear onto the island. I became a critical and dependable part of the setup, as driving quad-bikes, telehandlers and vehicles with trailers are second nature to me.
I used my organisational and team leading skills to aid teams in completing their assigned tasks. I also helped in the off-site cooking of curries that went on to feed 250 people. I really got stuck in and was a vital part of the small team, it was an extremely rewarding experience to build the event and then photograph the festivities!
The Sponsors
Chilly Man is run as a non-for-profit, as such to provide alcohol and food the team were able to secure a large number of sponsors.
The photos below are a selection of photos taken for the sponsors for marketing purposes. Providing promotional product shots and environmental photos of people enjoying the sponsored products was key part of my photography role at the Chilly Man Festival.
After the event, there was a positive reaction from the Sponsors, which could lead to sponsorship of future events.
