Siren Festival was really fucking good this year.
(the whole, rather epic photo set right here)
With a lineup that included Broken Social Scene and Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks as headliners, alongside These are Powers, Times New Viking, The Dodos, Parts & Labor, The Helio Sequence, Film School, Islands, Annuals, Ra Ra Riot, Dragons of Zynth, Jaguar Love, Beach House, and day-long DJing from Ted Leo, the Village Voice sure pulled off an indie-buzz-band-mackfest.
While I had grand hopes to catch and shoot every set by every band playing the festival, sets ran late on one stage and not the other (you know how those dirty musicians get…), and I additionally could not multiply/teleport/divide and conquer. So, bright things, I did my very best to capture what I could of the bands that I saw. Yet, as hard as I tried to be a good little girl, I (as all valiant soldiers do) encountered some pretty close calls mid-battle…
Listen to this one.
I headed over to shoot Ra Ra Riot, and began staking my place in the front of the photo pit. In DC, there are usually only a few photographers shooting each event. In New York, however, any photographer will be delighted to find tens (hundreds?) of other photographers crammed into the same photo pit at every show! Remember at the Re-Launch party how all of BYT’s trusty photographers were up front all night ambushing the stage to get the best shots? Well, it’s sort of like that here…but multiplied by three hundred thousand seventy seven kilobugs. OR whatever.
Anyway, there was this chick standing dead-center in front of where the band was setting up, but sort of a foot away from the stage. She asked me if the band that was about to play were called “The Ra Ra Riots.” A few minutes later, I crawled in front of her to shoot a couple of frames.
All of a sudden I’m pushed aside not-so-kindly with an
“Excuse me, but could you please move back? I’m going to be shooting here during the set.”
I’m a pretty no-drama, no-fuss gal. I don’t like getting in fights. So I moved back for the time being, and figured I would just jump in again when the band started up. Every other one of the thousand photographers there would jump in, too, when the band started up. In the meantime, the chick started arguing with the video guy standing next to her, informing him to hold onto his fucking hat, because she would be shooting there.
The girl beside me laughed, and said “You’re all shooting here – you’re all photographers. She doesn’t even know the band’s name.”
A few minutes later, Ra Ra Riot finally kicked off the set. So I moved forward and started shooting. And once again, I was tapped on the shoulder and pushed aside.
“EX-CUSE me,” she growled, “But you’re going to have to move. I’m shooting here.”
“So is everyone else,” I replied. “We’re all photographers.”
“Excuse me. But I am a PROFESSIONAL photographer.” She raised her voice.
“So am I.”
“Oh yeah?” She questioned. “Who do you shoot for?”
“Brightest Young Things dot com.”
“With that?” She pointed to my camera and started laughing. My little point-and-shoot.
(I have a point-and-shoot because I picked up a camera one day when I was about 15 and started shooting for fun, and then found that I really liked photography. My parents wanted to make sure that I was really serious about shooting before they dropped a huge wad on an SLR, understandably. I’m getting one next month. At home, I never received anything but kind, complimentary words about my use of that camera.)
“You aren’t a professional photographer. What are you doing with THAT?”
“I am a professional photographer, and it’s all I’ve got.”
I had been out in the sun all day busting my ass shooting this thing, and really wasn’t in the mood to argue. There were tons of photographers there – all professional, all working, all stuck in the same place in the same situation just trying to do their jobs. So she pushed me aside again, and told me to stay out of her shots. I should have told her that if she was really such a good photographer, then she’d be able to shoot with one of those, too. Instead, I finished up my job and got the hell out of there.
Later on, I spoke with another photographer who shoots with a tiny, non-professional camera. He revealed that he had been bitched at by the same lady.
By the end of the day, my favorite sets were played by Film School, Helio Sequence, and Broken Social Scene - I did, in fact, come very close to crying during BSS’ set, because it was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.
So seriously, despite the dreadful heat, sweaty pushy bitchy photographers, and city-wide subway closures, it was a good day. And Dear Bitch Photographer, if you are reading this, I hope you had a great day crapping all over those of us with point-and-shoots. I hope you were so busy belittling other photographers that you dropped your fancy camera in the ocean and were too poor to afford a new one. Maybe one day you’ll learn to be a nice person
Very nice photos, Alyssa. I thoroughly enjoyed them (and your story too).
July 22, 2008 at 4:36 pmhaha! Alyssa no need to wish ill on this woman, she’s obviously unhappy as it is and your pics are awesome so you win.
Last time I went to Siren fest was like 2002 and I got wine spilled all over me and it was way too hot and crowded and that’s when I realized I was an idiot for thinking Hot Hot Heat were a good band.
Glad you had a (sorta) better time.
July 22, 2008 at 5:01 pmI’d love to see what that other girl’s pictures were like, because I’d have a hard time believing they’d be better than these. Great work, regardless of the camera.
July 22, 2008 at 5:07 pmthese are great shots per usual.
what goes around comes around.
Classic. The first time I saw Alyssa shoot live I couldn’t believe she was getting the results she does with that camera. I would have loved to have seen everyone’s pics from the same band and you can rest assured she would have smoked them all.
I love that you captured Film School’s goofiness (and Lorelei’s between songs boozing - haha!)
July 22, 2008 at 6:08 pmIs that bikini lady’s leg half-hairy, or just kinda dirty?
July 22, 2008 at 6:54 pmSweet photos Alyssa. I was at Siren too, the line up was awesome this year. And the camera you shoot with is totally what you make of it, not how much money you spend.
July 22, 2008 at 7:53 pmI shot at Ultra 2006 with a point and shoot for a magazine in Puerto Rico. A little retouching and they looked really good. If you have an eye for photography you can take VERY interesting pictures with anything. These pictures are great .
July 23, 2008 at 1:03 amnice shots! what model point and shoot do you use
July 23, 2008 at 8:44 amme likey the beach ball shot!
July 24, 2008 at 5:17 pmBeach House was mesmerizing at Siren.
July 26, 2008 at 10:41 pm
I had no idea these sorts of battles went on between photographers.
July 22, 2008 at 4:35 pm