I
hate to be the one to bring it up but Mick Jagger had
a bad day once that still haunts professional photographers. As
far as I can gather, Mick is responsible for the limits
now placed on photographers regarding concert photography.
Ordinarily, we photographers are told that we can shoot only the
first one to three songs, usually without a flash. Some artists
(or managers) who are insecure and irritable by nature have taken
this rule to laughable extremes, allowing only the first thirty
seconds of the first song to be visually recorded.
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"I
pressed the shutter release button as the camera
rested in my lap..."
© 2003
Susan Adcock, Freelance.
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This
explains why I personally have no photos of Don Henley. At
that particular request, I chose not to shoot at all but instead
blocked the view of security guards while a fellow photographer
secretly shot the entire show.
I understand that a powerful flash can be a distraction and the last
thing I want to do is make Mick forget the words to ‘Honky Tonk
Women’ in front of sixty thousand people. The fact is, being
there by the stage makes us a little high too. We can't stop ourselves. Ninety
eight percent of us are dying to take the best picture of you that's
ever been taken and the chances are good that it's not going to happen
during the first thirty seconds. We try (because we are good people)
to follow the rules and we hope you forgive us if we casually forget
that you ended the third song, two songs ago.
\
Tony
Bennett entertained a crowd of seven hundred at
the Swan Ball, an annual social event and fundraiser,
in Nashville Tennessee.
© 2003
Susan Adcock, Freelance.
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This
brings me to my Saturday night confession. I knew
the rules. Three songs. Tony Bennett. Once
in my lifetime I was presented with the opportunity to
take pictures of Tony Bennett and what would become a full
page photo for nFocus magazine, now would be produced in
about seven and a half minutes. No pressure.
At
the beginning of the fifth song, a nice woman tapped
me on the shoulder and said, "It's time to stop
taking pictures now; pass it on." I did stop,
really I did but Mr. Bennett was just getting warmed
up. He told us a story about Eddie Arnold and six
bars into Hank Williams' legendary 'Cold, Cold Heart',
I could no longer contain myself. I pressed the
shutter release button as the camera rested in my lap,
peeked at the digital display, and was so charmed by
the fact that he was even in the frame...that I pressed
it again. Twelve times.
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I
lost an arm here and there but over all it turned out great and
with all due respect to Tony Bennett, Mick Jagger, and the rules,
I might quietly add that I'm not sorry.
Susan Adcock
s_adcock@bellsouth.net
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