A combination of Interactive, Film and Music make the SXSW Festival in Austin the best blend of pop culture events you can attend in a ten day period.

When you arrive they give you 3 muslin bags with designs signifying each portion of the festival and a guidebook for each. Welcome to Austin!

What does all of that mean? In the Interactive portion, has a series of seminars, panels and speakers gathering to discuss the state of our digital lives, and a possible look to where it may be going, you walk away with a few more tools in your toolbox in understanding. Plus get a chance to mingle with some of the smartest people in the room. And sometimes controversial like Julian Assange, below, who appeared via SKYPE, from a safe haven in London:

The Film portion not only premieres major motion pictures, but has become a staple of the film festival circuit while also adding smaller screen offerings into the mix.

Kevin Bacon showed up to discuss 6º of Kevin Bacon, and everyone became 1º

The cast from Mike Judge’s new HBO show “Silicon Valley” premiered 2 episodes and cracked everyone up.

And Music has been the anchor for this festival it’s beginning in 1987. From relative newcomers like St. Vincent, below

to classics like Neil Young

to the new bands like B. Roddy and the Business:

Yes, there are specific seminars for the photographer, but I’m going to talk about the festival from a photographers point of view.

After 6 years of shooting this conglomeration of shooting situations, each year there is a little tweak. Could be some gear switches or additions, workflow revelations, schedule tips.

Here was this years work station. details to follow.

After all, you are covering a multi-day event with speakers on a stage, performing musicians and their light shows, premieres, parties, and the general festival goer giving the flavor to the whole event.

Oh, yeah, Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York fame, came a spoke about his street technique:

The next post will cover the list of gear, why it was brought, and the way it was carried. Some things helped me sleep longer, somethings never got used.

I do want to thank the organizers of SXSW for their support and cooperation all of these years. This year hit a new high in smooth operation and , honestly, great value for every festival pass holder. With a plethora of great events offered, no one was left wanting.

There was a dark event at the festival this year. I was unfortunately within feet of the tragedy, and will cover this in the final posting on SXSW 2014.