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Photographing Made In America after a pandemic was an experience
So boom… During the pandemic, I picked up a camera and never looked back. And thus far, having a camera by my side has gotten me access to some of the dopest happenings in the culture, including photographing this year’s Made In America Music Festival.
My camera was the missing link and helped me, as a journalist, take my words off the paper and into the eyes of the beholder.
It’s been a year after the pandemic and now I’ve shot hundreds of flicks on my Canon AE-1 Program. Keep rolling the tape, and now I’m in the photo pit at Made In America Festival shooting Young Thug perform. Sheesh! Who would’ve thought?
Somehow, someway, my credentials as a writer worked to help me navigate exclusive pull-ups where some of my favorite artists were performing. Here’s how I did it.
Got the PR plug to Made In America
PR peeps are a journalist’s best friend… sometimes. You have to pick and choose your allies at PR firms as most reach out, use you, and never return the favor or in some cases don’t have anything to offer.
It takes a lot of good judgment and experience to know who to keep in your Rolodex. In this case, our PR contact for MIA Fest has been with us since we started KH and many times over has unlocked the gates to some great content. So, she’s the homie.
Still, this is where preparation meets opportunity. Anything my plug needed leading up to Made In America, we worked together to make it happen. Also, we didn’t reach out and ask about PRESS ACCESS a day or two before.
We gave our PR contact a month’s notice and started the process (filling out forms, COVID clearances, interview requests, agreements, the whole enchilada).
How are we getting to Philly, tho?
Now a native NYC aficionado, driving has become a thing of the past. And once I got the news that we were approved for photo and press for MIA Fest I hit Wanderu for the cheap transportation, there and back.
It was like taking a little time machine to another world. And yeah, I got to Philly a little early but it allowed me to get some practice shots in. Also, they just got hit by Hurricane Ida, so I didn’t know what to expect upon arrival.
Checking the vibes and sticking to my strengths
Check-in time was 11 am so you can guess what time I got there… 11 am. That’s the first thing we learn as journalists in college or from experience. Be on time and, oh yeah, hit deadlines.
But, getting there on time allowed me to map out my plan of attack. From previous MIA Fests, I’ve attended as a journalist, I knew that when you’re working a music festival, you’re working a music festival.
Plus, when you’re on time you can brainstorm with your squad, get some dope shots of activations without the business of a music festival, and interview some early arrivers.
Before the first set, I began interviewing and photographing some music festival fans, where I asked them about the feeling of coming back from a pandemic and going to a music festival.
Liam and James became the homies.
“I’ve enjoyed my last year creating with my collective in Philly. But this will be my first big event since the pandemic and I’m excited. Hopefully the artists bring the heat.”
– Liam
As the giant festival venue continued to fill up, the vibes led me to Marian and Kandy, both were sitting under a tree by the main stage. They were excited to be there and for them, it was a mixture of angst and a spiritual blessing.
“You still want to social distance but at the same time, I’m happy to be in an environment with other people because we’ve been isolated for so long. To be able to hear music, just vibe out, and be out in nature it’s kind of like a spiritual blessing. I’m grateful.”
– Kandy
Doing my rounds at Cause Village at Made In America Festival
Whats are good vibes without a good cause? Music is a universal language that can be used for good and being at MIA Fest reminded me of that.
It’s more than just music, it’s bringing people out to collectively support a bigger mission and Cause Village did exactly what it was designed to do.
With the power of music in mind, the vibes led me to my first stop at Cause Village, the School District of Philadelphia Office of the Arts and Creative Learning.
There I spoke with Frank Machos who told me about using music programs at the School District of Philadelphia to empower the youth.
“Our biggest mission at Made In America is to let people know that music education in Philly public schools is not only alive and thriving but it’s moving into the future. We want to equip the youth with the tools they need to be on these stages in the future.”
– Frank Machos, School District of Philadelphia Office of the Arts and Creative Learning
After having some fun with some of the instruments the Philadelphia School District had at their tent, I had to pull up on the fam at the Gathering For Justice.
There Luis Hernandez was setting up for passer-bys ready to learn more about the Gathering for Justice initiatives. It was great seeing a familiar face and make a connection over the music.
Listen to our podcast Advocate Daily (click here)
Asking him his thoughts on merging activism and music, Hernandez would go on to quote Harry Belafonte’s mentor Paul Robeson, “Artists are the gatekeepers of truth…”
Hernandez continued:
“We truly believe that, here at the Gathering For Justice. When the opportunity arose we were super excited. An opportunity to push out our initiative, let folks know about the amazing work that we’re doing, and to engage everyday people into our cause is amazing.”
– Luis Hernandez
Into the photo pit. The stress that comes with photographing a music festival
Finally, I was ready to put my Canon AE-1 Program to work. It was time to hit the photo pit. I had to choose carefully and now that the Made In America venue was jam-packed with fans, navigating would from stage to stage became a little more than a breezy walk.
The first thing I noticed, the stage was high and my Slim Zoom stopped working the day before… SICK. Still, I managed to get a dope shot of Morray as he took the stage.
Shuffling my way over to watch Griselda’s performance, shamefully, I was unprepared. It hurts so much. I wasn’t checking the status of frames I had left but I managed to swap out my rolls with just enough time to capture Benny the Butcher and West Side Gunn in action.
I then made my way to Baby Keem’s set. I was a little happier with the outcome here. I did miss a shot or two of Brent Faiyaz, who was also just casually chillin’ watching Baby Keem go off, but, it’s ok. =(
Feeling like I was on #TeamNoBreak, this time around I checked my frame count and swapped out my rolls in the press tent before Young Thug’s performance.
If you thought the stage was high in my other shots, to my luck, Young Thug pulled out all the stops for his very pink, very foggy performance. As we waited for him to hit the stage, to the crowd’s surprise, he would perform from atop a caged spider.
But wait what about the music festival fans, tho?
One thing we can’t forget when photographing a music festival is the fan experience. Because I had access to the photo pit this made capturing the overall experience of Made In America quite light.
Photographing a music festival is not easy, Here’s what I learned…
Remembering the (L) I took missing out on capturing Brent Fayiaz at Baby Keem’s set, for Young Thug’s performance I kept my eyes peeled for rappers who might be watching in the crowd.
With a touch of luck and preparation, I was able to capture A$AP Ferg in the photo pit.
Shooting film is its own obstacle. A lot of money and a lot of failures before learning what’s really good. The next time, I’m presented with the opportunity of photographing a music festival like Made in America, I’m definitely going to need a zoom lens and Portra 400 instead of 160.
The movement during live performances was just way too much. But who knows? I’m still waiting to see what I get from this CinePlus 800 roll. Those are mine.
Till next time. Stay fly and never stop creating.