Now this was something special. I'd already seen a Cirque Du Soleil show in Las Vegas last year during a road trip, where I instantly became an unabashed fan. Tonight was unique, however, in that it was a one-time performance created specifically for SXSW. Even better, having already secured myself an excellent spot right in front of the stage for the Divine Fits performance earlier in the evening, I was in an ideal place to watch the action. In Vegas, our seats were pretty much right at the back of the auditorium, so this was a big deal for me to get so close.

Although it was a much shorter, condensed version of what a full Cirque Du Soliel performance would usually be, it was no less spectacular. Photographs really can't do justice to the jaw-dropping acrobatics on display, especially during the grand finale. I don't think I've ever seen or heard an audience erupt into applause so enthusiastically or joyously.

Moving on from the Interactive Awards at the downtown Hilton, I headed to the Moody Theater, which is where all of the Austin City Limits performances are normally filmed. The number of legendary acts that have played here is staggering, and tonight I was going to be witnessing a special Cirque Du Soleil performance. Before that though, I got to see Divine Fits, a supergroup comprised of members from some of my other favorite bands (namely Britt Daniel of Spoon and Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade). I like shooting in venues like this because the lighting is always so good, and I think I managed to get some fairly atmospheric shots.

It's that time of year again when SXSW completely takes over Austin. Today marked the end of the interactive portion of the festival, and I was covering the awards ceremony. Photographically speaking, it perhaps wasn't the most exciting of events, but it was surprisingly entertaining and the Hilton's Grand Ballroom at least made for a comfortable shoot.

Texas bluegrass band The Austin Steamers got the proceedings started, after which we were introduced to our emcee for the evening, comedian Aisha Tyler. Tyler has had a long and varied TV and movie career, and although I've never seen it I understand she is most famous for her role in the show Ghost Whisperer. I, however, mainly know her as the voice of Agent Lana Kane in the animated show Archer, which I absolutely love (at the time of writing it's streaming on Netflix in the US - check it out now if you haven't already. Its hilarious!). The geeky part of me was quite excited to see her in person, and she certainly didn't disappoint. She was very funny. And also perhaps a bit drunk.

Another notable guest at the event was danah boyd (the lack of capital letters in her name is intentional), who was being inducted into the SXSW Interactive Hall of Fame. I will freely admit that I have very limited knowledge of the big names in the tech world, but boyd is apparently extremely influential. Her list of job titles alone is enough to impress - Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research, Research Assistant Professor in Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales. I was able to get a few good shots of her as she mingled with other guests. Luckily for me she was very easy to spot, wearing a newsprint coat and a giant furry hat.