by David Kwaw Mensah

I have gone to the Notting Hill Carnival almost every year since 1997 and taken pictures there every year since 2005. On the first few occasions images were captured using my camera phone but more recently I’ve been using my digital SLR. Every year the carnival changes and the challenges, which surface, are quite different. In 2011, the year riots broke out in London, I recall the tension and the rumors that another riot would occur and I remember the police presence was so dominant that it felt difficult to enjoy yourself and thus taking photos of others enjoying themselves was problematic. This year, unlike most others, I set myself specific goals, such as: try to focus on the performers, get behind the scenes a little, try to see the carnival as less of an event and more as a story, with chapters, characters and even…