I’m glad that the band does point out that there is a difference between monsters and men, but still, what a wet, wet shoot.
My fancy photo belt that holds all my fancy gear unclipped and fell off all by itself when I walked into the dark, wet pit, in the rain as the band charged into it’s first set. My earplugs were in one of those black bags on the belt somewhere on the ground in the saturated darkness. This is not good, considering where I’m standing. Then I saw it. My chip wallet had FELL OFF MY BELT AND WAS LYING IN A PUDDLE. Full of a bunch of 32 and 16 gig 600s, these chips hold all your pics…and they don’t give those things away either. So, as my eardrums were exploding, I tried to decide what to do, save my chips or save my eardrums.
What you say? I did neither. This is a concert shoot. Other photographers are running around past you for position, and your standing there with all your shit in a puddle. I lost myself in self pity, figured no one could tell the difference, so I just cried and wet my pants.
After barely recovering from my emotional rollercoaster and trying to think, the only thing I could come up with to do in the dark rain, with all of Walnut Creek watching, because I was standing in front of the front row, was to slowly put everything back in its place and suit up. I did. I shot. And I got a couple of keepers. And another wonderful memory.
Everything dried out and is ok.
This shoot: 3 Canon 5D Mark2 bodies, 16-35, 24-70 and the 70-200
In closing, I’d say the key piece of equipment for this shoot was my umbrella. Which I left in the pit like the last one.
