This is the first post in a series on crowd images. Alex and I spent last weekend at the Truck festival near Steventon in Oxfordshire. It was a fantastic weekend; excellent music and a great atmosphere. There were many highlights, some of which I will post more about.

One of the things I enjoyed was plucking out scenes of couples from the crowds (sometimes intentionally and other times accidentally). I liked the way the twosomes  found their own secret spaces to just be quietly in their togetherness and share tranquil moments amongst the ensuing chaos and frenzy of the festival crowds. There is a sense of both reckless abandon and extreme privacy in a very public space (not least highlighted by my presence as intruder-photographer, and mostly fueled by lots of cider!). The images also tell their own little stories of friendship, love and community – truly summing up the spirit of the whole festival for me.

© Emily Hughes and searchingtosee, 2012