As a shutterbug, the worst thing in the world for me to read is: No photography or recoding devices allowed at this event.

This was once again the case for me on my recent trip to Sin City. I was lucky enough to see Garth Brooks live at the Wynn Theatre. But there they were. On the ticket, plastered in the hallways of the theatre, posted on the doors. The Words. There was no way I was getting a camera into this place.
 
Not long ago I encountered the same problem. I saw Ben Folds at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton. “No Recoding of Any Kind”. Here in Edmonton, people don’t take the “no recording” sign so seriously. I didn’t bring my camera, because I am pretty law abiding and fearful of consequences. But here, before Ben even come out on stage, in my mind I was planning shots, rueing my lack of camera. I actually felt anxious about the great shots I was missing. A young man sitting in front of me, a rule breaker, a rebel, pulled out his camera, and as soon as Ben came out, he started photographing away. I hated the young man for being so brave and ballsy. And I also envied him. He got the shots I didn’t. It didn’t take long for security to come threaten him and he did put away his camera.
 
But even while the concert went on, I couldn’t stop thinking about his photos. About how he would remember this day so clearly because of his photos. I hemmed and hawed about whether to approach him, and whether I needed photos. Finally during intermission I introduced myself and asked him if he would please send me some photos. He agreed, and to his word, three days later, I received three beautiful photos of Ben. But even at the concert, I knew my attention was elsewhere and I was not getting the full experience, because of my camera anxiety.
 
Now back to Garth. So I’m sitting in the audience waiting for the show to begin. This is Vegas. I’m not going to risk snapping photos here. The mob works here. They’ll break my legs. Or worse – my camera. So I decided. This was out of my hands. I’m going to have to let the camera go, and enjoy “this” moment.
 
Garth came out. I was overcome with emotion. He told stories, he sang. I laughed, I cried. And for that moment, I forgot about my camera. It was Garth, the audience and me. I didn’t have to worry about the terrible lighting, or my shutter speed not being correct. I didn’t have to get upset that I was missing something while composing my shot. It was actually really freeing. I only have one photograph for this entry, one from a billboard . And the image I have in my head of the concert is already a bit foggy and dreamlike, but maybe this time it’s ok that my mind can remember Garth the way it wants to remember it. Maybe the glow we add in our minds is sometimes better than reality. Maybe that’s why I like to add the glow in photoshop. 😉

Thanks for reading, and please stop by again.
Leslie