This is a shot I took from the very back of a concert at Epcot from R&B group, The Spinners. It’s of Henry Fambrough, the group’s last living original member who’s been around since the group’s formation about 60+ years ago. I only stood there for maybe five minutes. Why?
I’m not a fan.
This was a job from one of my friends who is a big Spinners fan, so it wasn’t entirely my decision to stop. But what if it were? You know something, I’d be cool with stopping.
There’s a (very) small list of people I wouldn’t cross the street to see. But when you cross those people out, photographing any big name, whether it’s someone I’ve never heard of, or Brian May, one of my photo bucket listers, it’s a great feeling.
Firstly, being in the presence of an entertainment icon, be it musician, comedian, or actor is amazing enough. Even though none of them know you exist, unless you sit in the front row, for some reason, you feel obligated to get that one perfect shot. The shot that in your dreams is being requested by the artist’s tour director to be used as an officially licensed photo of promotion.
The feeling of getting that perfect, crisp shot is even better. If you’re like me and your camera isn’t technically professional, you know this feeling. As stated before, I was all the way back, behind where the seats ended. Maybe about 70 feet from the Spinners. My arms were shaking because they were holding the camera up, and they get tired pretty easily. But I still managed it. Then about ten minutes later, I was waiting for the ferry to the other side of Epcot, and I got bored.
So, I fiddled with the zoom a bit, held it towards the theater in the distance, and…
I think you get the gist of it.
Point is, if someone tells you that it’s time to cut back on the shows, ignore them. Especially when you have a camera, (when it’s allowed anyway) it keeps your satisfaction going. Obviously, don’t film the entire thing because you want to remember the experience. Every move, every solo, every flub. But that the feeling of a freshly taken photo reappearing on your screen is satisfying to say the least.
If you want to buy a cheap frame and get it printed for cheap at Walgreens, it’ll even save you a buck or two at the merch tables.
Josh Bradley Live 