Becoming HeyEmmaJaye Chapter 3

The next day the guitarist of the band let me know that they were going on a week long tour, and wouldn’t be in the area for me to photograph them any time soon. For our photo story project, I needed new content every single week. So, I proposed that I could go with them as their photographer, but they politely declined. They already had a relationship with another photographer in the area and promised him that he could tag along for that run. I was disappointed, especially since I had to go into class later that day and tell my professor that the story we were all so excited about would not come together like we had hoped.

After re-editing some of my extra from my 10 and 1 shoot, I was eating lunch at the University when the guitarist called and asked if he could meet with me. Within twenty minutes he was sitting down across from me with this crooked smile that he always had when he was up to no good. “So…do you want to come on tour with us” he said, now smiling. I laughed in disbelief and asked how that was possible. Due to a work conflict with the other photographer, he had to back out last minute…leaving me to hop in the van and go. I called my boss and made sure that I could get the week off of work and explained to her how big of an opportunity this was for me. Without even a shadow of a doubt she told me that she would get my shifts covered and congratulated me on chasing my dreams. Now, it was up to the professor. I would be missing a week and a half of school, but I would be creating non-stop. He would have to agree to it, right?

Even better. I walked into class that night with the biggest smile on my face and sat right in front of Gary. He smirked in my direction and shook his head, knowing that something was up. “Emma Jaye”, he said inquisitively. I smiled and said, “What do you think of me going on a week long tour with the band"?”. I attempted to continue, “that would mean 24/7 coverage, intimate access..learning…” but he cut me off. “You’re doing it,” Gary said stern and smiling. We discussed my time off from school and he assured me that if any of my other classes gave me a hard time, he would send over an academic pass to cover my back. But he made sure to let me know that I had to stay caught up in all of my classes, and meet every deadline. In that moment I could care less about the amount of work I would have to do in the upcoming weekend, because by the time September 29th rolled around I would be on my very first tour as a music photographer. Leaving class that evening I made sure to sit and talk specifics with Gary. We had to have been there for at least an hour talking about levels of intimacy, composition, timing, moments and everything in between. And as I was walking out the door of the classroom, a voice from the desk said confidently “I believe in you Emma Jaye”. I had never felt so much support from someone. Yes, of course my mom (who I call my momger) has been my biggest fan and supporter in the entire world. But to have someone come into my life so briefly and believe in me so strongly…it was like a breath of fresh air.

I spent the next week and weekend completing all of the work and assignments that I was going to miss the following week. I only had one journalism professor give me hell about it, and boy was she relentless. She even had the nerve to answer a question of mine with the side note “well maybe if you weren’t going to be off galavanting with a rock band for a week, you would be more focused on the lessons that matter in journalism”. I got up that day, gave her my assignment and politely told her that doing this was the start to an amazing journalistic career for me. She laughed in my face and I walked out of her classroom for the last time. That evening I dropped her class, and picked up a different one. I would re-take the class with a new professor the following semester. I wasn’t going to let a bitter old woman stunt my growth as a journalist, or as an artist.

Before I knew it, it was time to start packing. I had all of my equipment packed and ready, when I realized that I didn’t have any external lighting. In hindsight I shouldn’t have been worried, because in live concert photography this is majorly frowned upon, if it is even allowed at a venue. But being so new to the industry I went to the camera store and bought an external flash and a new memory card. I had sold three records of mine to be able to afford it. But to me, I was trading in my records for real music experience.

And oh…the experience it was.

TO BE CONTINUED

An outtake of from a band practice.