Kaunas City Turns 617 – Photographing the Opening Dinner and Light Installations

Kaunas, located right in the heart of Lithuania, is the country’s second-largest city, home to around 300,000 people. I grew up just outside the city, in the countryside, but Kaunas has always been a big part of my life. I studied here, spent time with friends, walked these streets countless times — and now, I’m capturing its stories through my camera.

This weekend, Kaunas celebrated its 617th birthday, and I had the exciting opportunity to photograph the event as part of my internship at a local news portal. This was my first big assignment — photographing public events in real-time, on deadline, while learning on the go. It was stressful, but in the best way possible.

The birthday celebrations lasted for three days, from Friday to Sunday, filled with concerts, light installations, food, and street festivities. I photographed Friday and Saturday from around 12 p.m. until 1 a.m., running back and forth from the event to the newsroom — which was about a 20-minute walk away — to edit and upload photos as quickly as possible so the journalists could create text and publish the articles.

According to my smart watch, I walked 10 kilometers on Friday and 17 kilometers on Saturday. I was absolutely exhausted — but also energized and inspired. I was learning so much in real time, making mistakes and correcting them, pushing my own limits.

I mostly shot using my Sony A7III paired with a Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8, which performed beautifully in all kinds of lighting situations. I also tried my old Sony 55–210mm f/4.5–6.3 for a couple of shots, but honestly, that lens is just too dark, too old and too soft for night or fast-paced scenes.

One of my personal challenges was being brave enough to get closer to people for more intimate, emotional shots. I’m still working on this — it’s something I want to improve: not just documenting the event, but really capturing people's emotions and the soul of the moment.

The Long Table Dinner

The celebration kicked off with a rather ambitious event — a “Long Table Dinner” in the heart of the Old Town. Imagine this: a single long table stretching several hundred meters, lined on both sides by cafes and restaurants. These businesses provided food and drinks to the people who had reserved their seats in advance (yes, it was paid). It was supposed to be a warm, lively beginning — a kind of communal dinner under the spring sky.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite meet expectations. Many of the tables were left half-empty. I think the cold weather was to blame — May in Lithuania can still be quite chilly, especially in the evenings.

Still, the event had its charm. The mayor of Kaunas officially opened the celebration by giving a speech and cutting a ceremonial red ribbon. Later in the evening, there were small concerts and musical acts throughout the dinner area. It felt festive and hopeful, even if the turnout wasn’t massive.

Magic in the Dark: Light Installations

As darkness fell, the riverside park near the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris lit up with glowing butterflies, feathers, and birds — beautiful projections and sculptures that added an ethereal, dreamlike quality to the night.

It was a great opportunity to practice night photography and play with how light interacts with the environment and the people walking through it. I learned how important it is to find stable compositions and wait for the right moment — maybe a silhouette, a child chasing light on the sidewalk, or someone taking a selfie.

Night photography, especially during events like this, is tricky — you’re constantly balancing movement, low light, and finding emotion in fleeting moments. But I’m proud of some of the shots I got. I definitely want to create my own Lightroom presets to speed up my editing process — it took longer than I’d hoped to get everything uploaded.

Stay tuned for the next part of the celebration — Kaunas Hansa Days, medieval fairs, kids' activities, and more moments captured through my lens.