Hi, my Darling,
Happy Late Night. I am feeling better today, and I hope I will have no more of those symptoms. The gas leak is supposed to be fixed by late February, so they say, and we are all hoping they'll be right. I think, for me anyway - down here in Northridge and Reseda - it has something to do with the wind. It was very windy on Sunday when I started to have trouble breathing. In those videos that show the gas plume, it seems to go upwards mostly (although of course it still spreads), but when the wind blows, and it always blows south here, in the direction of Northridge, I think it blows all that stuff in our direction. I think that's what happened Sunday. I was fine, watching the Super Bowl, and then I went home and went on my walk in the wind.
And then, whammo. I got sick.
But I am better now, and hope to stay that way. I hope you had a good day. I saw your post from Emily Tebbetts, and though it was about her Mom, I took it as a Sweet Baby post. I hope I got it right. :)
I also saw your post about the concert photographer. That was right on the money. I have only once ever been in a photo pit (in front of the stage with the crowd barrier behind you). My single experience was at an AC/DC concert with Fastway opening. Fastway was Fast Eddie's band after he left Motorhead. Anyway, I was gonna shoot them, not AC/DC. It was arranged by my friend Jon, as always in those days. The concert was at The Forum, where the Lakers played and which in those days was the main concert arena for the big bands. So there I was in the photo pit, with my pass clipped to my shirt, and the coast was clear........
Almost. It had looked like I was gonna be the only shooter in the pit - it was the opening band, after all - and they had told me "you've got three songs" which is usually the limit. So I was all ready to shoot my three songs worth, when all of a sudden appeared a guy with a big bag over his shoulder and a ton of camera gear. Just one guy, but he was loaded to the gills with equipment, and here's me with just my Canon AE-1 in hand.
The guy never said a word to me, but was just as rude if not more so than the jerk in your FB photographer's story. The Forum stage is big, arena sized, and there were only two of us there, plenty of room for both, but this guy made a point to stand next to me, or in front of me, crowding me, arms outstretched with Humongous Camera Lens in my view......
He purposely crowded my space, crowded my view and crowded me out. Even though we were the only two people there, and even though there was room for both of us at center stage.
He was a typical LA photographer type, and we are talking Paparratzi and News photogs and some concert photogs. Type A aggressive jerks all.
I wound up not getting a single good shot of Fastway in concert.
But after the show, Jon got us backstage. We got to meet Angus for a quick hello, and then I got to take some shots of a whole bunch of people all posing at once, in a line : Fast Eddie, his singer, local radio DJ Samantha Fox, and Brian May of Queen.
Jerk photographer was nowhere to be seen.
I will post one of those photos one of these days, but the FB photographer's story reminded me of the concert, and if you ever run into a guy like that, just keep working. You have already had more experience shooting from the stage and around it than I ever had, and as you know there is a ton of room for everybody.
I think that guys like that are threatened by anyone who might get a better shot than they can, which means that they don't have any confidence in their shots, or that they see it as a competition.
It isn't. Always remember that. It's never about you vs. other photographers. Other photographers at concerts do not exist as far as you are concerned.
It's all about you and the band onstage, period. Your shots are not commerce (though they will hopefully make you some money).......
Your shots instead are intent on capturing what you are seeing and feeling as you watch the band and hear the music.
At a rock concert, this is all happening at once. The band is playing, and moving, and lights are flashing and changing in shape, pattern and colors, and you are both an audience member and photographer at the same time.
A lot of these so-called Pro Photogs couldn't care less about a band they are shooting. And don't get me wrong, a pro is a pro and can get some good shots too.
But a meaningful shot is even better than a good one, and that happens like in your behind-the-band shots of Versus Me at that outdoor show last year, where you captured great angles and poses of James with the big crowd sprawled out before him.
Those are meaningful shots, because they capture a feeling and tell a story all at once.
The moral of the story is "haha, jerk photogs. You are still uncool no matter how pushy you are".
Plus, if you're nice, you wind up meeting a whole lot more bands and musicians that way. :)
Sorry to get off on such a tangent, but the FB story reminded me of that Fastway incident.
I sure had fun in the 80s going to those shows and interviews with Jon.
I see you have the Trivium show coming up, and I hope you have other things in the works. I am sure you do. Post when you can, cause it enables me to respond and therefore have something to write about. Other than that, things are just going along as usual. The Kobester is doing well. I have seen three movies from Redbox in the last week : "Truth" (which I mentioned), "Bridge Of Spies" (very good) and "Sicario" (well done if a bit Hollywoodised and unrealistic in places).
So there you have it! Everything is up to date.
I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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