The Artist Struggle
So Friday morning I get an email saying I have been approved for photo passes for the 'One Hell Of A Nite Tour'. The concert was that same evening and I had already planned on attending as a regular guest. As soon as I got the email, my battery was getting charged and my SD cards were getting emptied and prepared for the night. I remember saying, 'Chris Brown is really active on social media with concert photos, so I have to get some good shots for him to Instagram. I haaave to.'
Wellllll, I spent my Labor Day in bed all day editing all of the 900 photos (no exaggeration) from the concert. I remembered in the past when Lil Wayne Instagrammed one of my photos and how pissed I was that I didn't put a watermark on it or didn't get credit for it. So this time around I made sure to put a watermark on every single photo that I posted to the internet. However.. of course when I got around to editing the Chris Brown photos, I realized we had the same initials so I was hesitant to keep my watermark as just simply 'CB' but I feared that if I put 'CBudd Photography' on it, he wouldn't pay it any mind.
Sure enough a few friends tagged me later on his Instagram post and the screaming and jumping up and down of excitement happened right on cue. 'YESSSS I KNEW HE WOULD! I KNEW IT!' But seriously, I just had a feeling for some reason that he would notice my work. I couldn't tell you how I knew it was going to happen, but I just KNEW.
And sure enough the next morning (this morning actually), I was like.. 'Hmm.. wouldn't it be crazy if he posted another one of my images? Let's try and go for it. So I posted another photo on my photography Instagram. Probably about twenty minutes pass before someone else tags me in his recent post. And you guessed it, more screaming and jumping.
It's all really bittersweet though. I just wish he could of tagged me. C'mon Chris! What about us artists who haven't made it as big as you yet? Help us out! But it is what it is. I'm not that upset about it like I was the first time this happened with Lil Wayne. It feels so good to know that my work is being noticed though. This experience really has me researching concert photography and tour photographers. I wonder what the traveling lifestyle with a band would be like.. I'm curious about it, it kind of interests me. I have such a passion for music and photography so how dope would it be to be involved in both worlds?!
Anyway, I'm as happy as can be and currently should be doing all the homework I didn't do yesterday and all weekend long. But just a quick thought, if I DID do all my homework yesterday instead of working on my craft, all this might have not happened. Sometimes I feel like school really does get in the way of bigger and better opportunities. Like next week Kelly Clarkson is performing and I would love to switch genres and shoot that concert, but... I have class. Like is it worth it? Eh.. just some thoughts of a procrastinator who would rather do her own thing.