This past year's Coachella Music Festival was a great learning experience, as I entered into the realm of meeting magazine deadlines, shooting an endless list of performers each day, and battling my self inflicted WIFI issues. For some reason I had it in my mind that I'd magically stumble across a strong WIFI connection in the middle of the desert, and would be able to suffice the editor's requests for bulk uploads each day. I learned the hard way, that doesn't always happen as planned.
But regardless of the snags that presented themselves along the way...I'm now a much more prepared and cautious photographer. I met some great PR contacts from all over the world, who welcomed me into their backstage trailers with open arms. I was ushered into the ritzy underworld of Coachella and met big name acts such as the Presets, Steve Aoki, and other up and coming acts. All of which were more than happy to pose for some pictures and shoot the shit for a little while. That was quite a nerve wracking experience at first, but proved to be a major milestone in my career in regards to settling down and working on getting the shots I wanted, regardless of these performers status in the music world.
I was stoked to be able to mingle with such talented acts, but as odd as it may sound, I was more excited being in the pit and watching the photographers who were representing "The Big Dogs". By that I mean, the guys shooting for Rolling Stone and the other top mags in the music world. Getting to see the equipment they used, how they used it, and various other techniques nobody else but a photographer would notice or appreciate, was an amazing experience.
