Being a photographer, one enjoys possibilities usually unavailable to students. I get to stand on the sidelines for football games, sit under the rim for basketball, hang in the front row at important events, meet famous people and the like. Usually my job is relatively easy-go somewhere, take pictures and leave.
For the most part, being a photographer/editor is pretty painless. On the flipside, sometimes I feel like quitting because it can be a hardcore pain in my groin. Let's take this year's Fall Fest, for instance.
I was excited (like most) to go - Ludacris, Nas and a slew of other entertainers on stage should be enough to keep any student happy, right? Maybe things would have been better if the performers were actually on time (Nas on stage at 10:20?) or if SA was a bit more organized (and less corrupt?).
When I photograph special events like Fall Fest, I know that there's a definite possibility that I'll get to meet one of the headliners. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to read an interview and see up-close photos of your favorite stars in the student newspaper? So when SA told me that there would be a meet-and-greet session before the show, I was excited knowing that I could photograph some of today's top hip-hop artists.
When I got to Alumni Arena (at the time SA told me to be there), I was gravely disappointed when an SA event coordinator told me that there would be no meet-and-greet. Instead, she said she would "get in touch." As a member of the press, these are the words of death. Ruefully, I returned to the press area to take photos of the opening performers on stage.
Later in the show, during Ludacris' performance, one of SA representatives said that Ludacris would have a meet-and-greet. Five minutes later, she returned and said that there would be no press. Wait, what? It gets better. She then told an SA photographer that Ludacris would only be taking two photos, one being for SA, the other not for The Spectrum. The explanation? Security purposes.
Why does SA have more of a right to a photo of Ludacris than the student newspaper? What exactly are they planning on using the photo for anyways? Maybe it's for a student-approved Christmas card? "Hey look mom, I got to meet Ludacris!"
I'll never know what happens with that photo, and you probably won't either - unless, of course, SA reads my column and decides to publish the photo in the next issue of Visions as retribution.
Let's put that aside for a second, and shift our attention to another bit of "gray area." At some point during the show, I was backstage in the hospitality room. While I was there with my reporter and assistant photographer, we took notice of two groups of random students coming into the room and commandeering the red event crew T-shirts. Credentials are necessary to get backstage, so my question is this: How did they get backstage to even get close to those shirts? Want to talk about a security breach? How disorganized can this cesspool of a production get?
My colleagues and I mentioned this breach to a legitimate staff member and minutes later we were repaid with a visit from the SA coordinator. Not to thank us, oh no. Instead, she proceeded to kick us out from the backstage area, making it clear that security would be called in if deemed necessary. At this point in the show, my attitude shifted from sour apples to rancid milk.
When Nas finally got to the stage, I was really not in the mood to take any more photos, but I persisted. I'm snapping away, along with the other photographers, and what do I see to my left? Peter Grollitsch, SA President, manning one of the SATV cameras. Or rather, looking like he was manning one of the cameras. I'm sure anyone who saw him (or was everyone looking at Nas? Another mystery.) can agree that he seemed a bit more preoccupied doing a little dance. So it's OK for the SA President to record the concert (is he even qualified to operate a camera?), but not okay for the Senior Photo Editor at the student newspaper to take pictures backstage?
Repeat after me: Un. Fair.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
