people watching at coachella 2010

Finishing off this year's Coachella series with some casual snaps by Bueno Bueno on flickr.  As much as I love the work of The Cobrasnake and Last Night's Party, I think I prefer these amateur photographs because they just have a different kind of authenticity to them.  They give you a peek as to what Coachella was like for the vast majority of attendees, and contrary to what the internet makes it seem like, most of them were normal people and not influencers or celebrities at parties.  It's more relatable I guess, and to be honest, it looks more fun.  See for yourself below: 

photos from coachella 2011 taken by Vans

It's just kind of funny to me how people nowadays love to complain that influencers and brands are ruining Coachella because a. those same people would have 100% complained about hipsters overtaking the festival and b. brands have had a significant presence there since the late '00s.  Of course, the vibes are very different now than they were a decade ago, but truthfully, I just think the perpetual annoyingness of influencers constantly shoving their Coachella fits and vlogs down our throats is the real issue, not their presence at the festival itself.  

Case and point: Vans (yes, the shoe company) teamed up with culture website lifewithoutandy.com and photographers Nikki Scoggins, Amanda Rae, and Jared Eberhardt to capture all three days of the festival back in 2011 for some kind of brand awareness stunt.  The photos are fun to look through, but at the end of the day, it's all marketing to try and get you to buy their shoes because they're "hip" or whatever.  At least Vans hasn't deleted them yet so they can still be seen on their flickr: