David BowieThis photo was shot from the sixth row at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I was new to the business and for a week before the show I tried calling the record company and the publicity agency to try and obtain a photo pass to shoot the concert. I never got one, so I purchased a ticket which had me sitting in what was called seventh heaven, all the way up and back. Cameras were not permitted so I snuck mine in. At that time I had three lenses: a 200 f/4, a 50mm and a 105mm. Once inside, I gradually made my way down the hallways until I got to the floor level, (This took a hour to do!). I also carried a pocketful of my business cards with this written on the back: "Let me shoot here and I will send you a print of the show for free." I climbed over all the seats from the back row to the sixth row. At that point all the audience was standing and I handed out a few cards. When the audience sat down again, there happened to be an empty seat. I shot the rest of the show from that seat. The next day I sent out color slides to all of the magazine I had contacted and got three color covers. From then on, the record company and publicity agency made sure I had a photo pass for their acts. Lesson: You've got to take risks in the beginning. |
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