Bird Notes

While I immediately blogged about the experience in the post Rock and Roll Photographer For a Day at Outside Lands, it would take another few months until I finally saw the issue my photos appeared in. So, without further adu, below is page A5 of the August 17, 2010 issue of the Benicia Herald.

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MC Hammer at the 2010 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

The chants of “go Hammer, go Hammer, go Hammer, go!” were all we needed to hear to know we were almost at the stage. Playing a children’s benefit at 10:30am on the first day of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, MC Hammer was in prime form and belted out hits such as Pray, 2 Legit 2 Quit, Pumps and a Bump, The Adams Family and, of course, U Can’t Touch This.

Gone were the parachute pants and in was baggy tux: the same outfit he wore at last year’s HSB festival, according to YouTube searches. He belted out his jams and for the finale he invited hundreds of kids at least a decade too young to his cultural significance onto the stage to dance with him.

I can’t describe the feeling of fun nostalgia that filled me as I watched the short set. It was all I needed to see. No modern Pastor-induced medleys…just the classics. Apparently, the few thousand other gen-x’ers or older around me felt the same way and for 30 awesome minutes we all danced like we were doing the running man wearing hypercolor tee shirts and snap bracelets.

While I do wish I had my good camera with me and sweet access to the stage like I did for Outside Lands, I was more than glad to just shoot a few videos and snapshots from far away. Besides, it gave me a chance to wave my hands in the air like it’s 1990 all over again.

Al Green Enters His Performance at Outside Lands

When my buddy Marc needed someone with a “nice camera” to take photos at the 2010 Outside Lands music festival for his newspaper, the Benicia Herald, I jumped at the opportunity. The unpaid but totally awesome gig came with a VIP pass and special entrance to the photographer’s pit right in front of the stage for the first three songs of each artist’s set.

Al Green: Gospel and Soul Music Singer

First up was Al Green and I arrived in the pit around 10 minutes early and staked out a great spot directly in line with center stage that also had a ledge for me to stand up on and get a more level shot. As Al came on, the crowd went wild and he began throwing kisses and roses to the audience while I snapped away.

“Zoom in, pull out, change a lens on the quick, try and get a drummer in the background, focus on just Al’s face, get his whole body in, up on the ledge, shooting from the ground.”

Thomas Mars and Laurent Brancowitz of Phoenix at Outside Lands

Before I knew it, Al Green’s three songs were over and I had managed to take more than 200 photos in around 12 minutes. I was also completely hooked on the rush of being in the pit, searching for the perfect photograph and jockeying my way around a sea of fellow shutterbugs.

Phoenix: French Rock Band

Phoenix came on a few hours later and I found that arriving just as the set started was not a good idea. The sparsely populated pit from Al Green’s performance was now teaming with photographers lined up in rows clamoring for the perfect angle. I couldn’t get by them to return to my prime spot and had no choice but to start shooting from the far left of the stage.

As luck would have it, the right moment fell in my lap when Thomas Mars, Phoenix’s lead singer, decided to climb into the crowd directly in front of me and serenade the crowd. Though his back was to me, I stretched out my arm and used every bit of leverage my 6’3 body could muster to position my wide angle lens as close to his face as possible and held down the shutter. I’m quite happy with how a few of them came out and literally being a foot away from the action was a heart-racing thrill.

Phoenix Lead Singer Thomas Mars Goes Into the Crowd

“OMG, he’s right next to me going into the crowd – let’s hope some of these come out because I can’t see what I’m shooting. He’s back on stage rocking out – try to get some motion in the images. Wait, my three songs are up already?”

I’ve heard a few different theories as to why photographers are only allowed in the pit for the first three songs. One idea is that the artists don’t want photos taken once they start to sweat. Another is that they tailor the beginning of their show to the photographers and then once we are all gone, the artists are freer to “go wild” without worries that their “rock-out face” will be miscaptured.

NAS and Damian Marley: Rapper and Reggae Legend

NAS Performs at Outside Lands

Crossing the length of the festival grounds, I once again arrived at my next concert – NAS and Damian Marley – moments before it began. Upon arriving at the entrance to the pit, the security guard in front looked at my wristband and decided he detected fraud. “Where did you get your wristband,” he asked. “From the Benicia Herald,” I replied. “Who is that?” was his response, at which point I quickly explained why I was legit. All the security guard could come up with next was “so do I have to let you in?” I quickly said yes as I walked by him and pulled out my camera.

“Get the Jamacian flag in the shot. Wait for the flag to be behind his head. Come on guys, stand next to each other and sing. There’s too much space between NAS and Damian. Switch lenses real fast and take closeups. Too much NAS, not enough Marley. I’m still waiting for my money shot. Throw your hands in the air…wait, gotta concentrate. There it is. A few more. Wait, I don’t want to leave yet.”

Photographer Pit at Outside Lands

With that final ushering out of the pit, my day as a rock and roll photographer had come to an end. I did not have the credentials to enter the pit for the headliner, Kings of Leon, so instead I retreated back to the Chase Freedom VIP lounge where I had spent much of the day enjoying free food and beverages while chatting with other photographers.

The whole experience was a wild ride and one I hope I get the opportunity to do again. I loved the rush of being in the pit, shooting by the seat of my pants and making constant adjustments to the camera as I followed the artist’s every move on the stage waiting for that perfect moment to click the shutter. It was also pretty great having pretty much full access to the entire festival except for behind the stage. So thank you to Marc and I can’t wait to see my photos in tomorrow’s Benicia Herald.

Tweeting the Experience

A Large Crowd at the Nas and Damien Marley Set at Outside Lands - Fisheye

When I wasn’t taking photos, I did a little bit of Tweeting about the experience. Below are all of my updates from the course of the day.

Tweeting random thoughts frm press #photo access to #outsidelands in #sf.

Taking pics frm the photog pit up front is like having 1st row seats but still watching it from a small tv in my hands.

After 3 songs all photogs must leave the pit. God forbid a musician gets a sweaty pic taken.

Theres so much free beer, wine, food, water and soda in the media areas its a wonder ne1 stops to take pics.

Getting yelled at by a bouncer on a power trip is funny.

Its all about luck when the lead ringer frm Phoenix goes crowdsurfing right in front of the spot i got cuz i was super late 4 their set.

Guy @ NAS show asked me who i got my photog band frm and if he had to let me in. I simply replied yes then walked past him to the pit.

Follow my semi-regularly tweets about photography and life observations.

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Photo Gallery

My VIP, Media and Press passes for Outside Lands, 2010

Macau skyline

Located an hour boat ride from Hong Kong, Macau is a completely separate country that feels like a mix between Portugal and Asia. We were originally unsure if we would even go, but after seeing a sign for a Lady Gaga concert at the Venetian hotel and casino we decided to take the trip. Normally, Lady Gaga is the type of concert I would never go to…but the chance to see an American pop artist surrounded by thousands of dressed up Asians was too much to resist.

At Largo de Senado in Macau

After getting a late start, being told to get off at the wrong bus stop and finally taking the first overpriced hotel we could find, we finally arrived at the Venetian. Just like it’s sister hotel and casino in Vegas, the place was a life size replica of Venice complete with canals and gondolas. Everywhere we looked we saw locals dressed up with wigs, makeup, American style clothes and Lady Gaga tee shirts. I have never been more sad to not have a camera than that night (again, damn you naked Thai thief).

The concert was pretty good, as was the free after party next to a pool under the stars. Along with a guy from New Jersey and his Indonesian girlfriend half his age that we met at the show, we danced by the pool for a few hours before losing a few bucks on the slots and heading home.

A bike in a door in Macau (taken by Carrie)

The next day Carrie and I self-guided our way through a walking tour of the historical district of Macau. As the country was occupied by the Portuguese for years, their influence is very heavily felt in the architecture, people and food. I especially loved the narrow allies filled with shops and food that we spent time wandering through. We also found our way to a fort atop a hill that had nice vistas and, later, to the highest point in Macau to check out a lighthouse and take in a breathtaking 360 degree view of the city.

Though we only had 24 hours in the country, Carrie and I agree that it is a place we would love to go back to. With an old-world charm mixed with a big city feel and a splash of Vegas thrown in for good measure, it is a playground for the rich…or at least for the employed. I for sure recommend it to everyone: even for a weekend getaway.

Macau This and That

A local Macau man takes a break from bike riding

With no small camera to use at the Lady Gaga concert, I tried very hard to buy a disposable camera. First I went into a few camera shops and was either looked at like I was crazy or corrected by an employee who thought the word I meant to use was “digital.” Later, when asking a staff member at the Venetian, I was told “um, I don’t know where you could get a specialty item like that. Maybe at the Duty Free store?”

I lost a quick $3 in slots when I hit what I thought was the button to bet only 25 cents but soon realized that I couldn’t read Mandarin and had no idea what I was doing.

The free shuttle from the Venetian casino was supposed to stop at midnight but we were happy to find it still running at 2am when we left. Though, we did have to complain when they said we just missed the last one until they sent one more last one for us and the rest of the line of late-night complainers.

The 2am shuttle ride was spent being serenaded by a singer from Japan and her two gay friends singing Tina Turner and other classics to Carrie.

A crowded street in Macau

It’s tough to control the AC when the remote is written in Mandarin.

After growing out my beard and hair for nearly two months, Carrie shaved it into a mohawk and Elvis chops on our last day.

The ride down from the highest point in Macau was in a ski gondola.

A bride and groom were taking photos at the Macau lighthouse in the blazing heat with their suits and wedding dress on. No thanks!

After a relaxing and cool time in Hong Kong, the weather gods decided to give us one last scorcher for our day of walking around Macau. Just to remind us what it was like for most of our trip…in case we forgot.

Carrie and I wrote out a postcard to ourselves from every country we visited. The last one from Macau was finished in the ferry terminal, but unfortunately there was no mailbox and we had already gone through customs. After asking a ferry employee what I could do he said, “I can mail it for you. If you trust me. Do you trust me?” Of course I did, so I handed it to him. Needless to say, the postcard arrived the same day as our Hong Kong one.

Skulls of the dead found at the Chokung Ek Killing Fields in Phnom Penh

With only one full day to spend in Phnom Penh, we decided to first visit the Royal Palace (absolutely amazing traditional Asian architecture) then take a break from fun activities and visit some sites related to the Khmer Rouge genocide . The first stop was the Killing Fields, where the bodies of more than 8,000 people were discovered in mass graves after the war.

In the center of the Killing fields is a pagoda/mausoleum holding the skulls of all the deceased in a glass case that goes up nearly two stories. The actual graves are now just holes in the ground, but for added effect the site has bones and clothing sticking out next to the walking paths and under trees. Perhaps the most disturbing part was the killing tree against which soldiers would hold children by their feet and whack them until dead. This was in an effort to save precious and expensive bullets…a practice that also led to thousands of bludgeonings, suffocations and throat slittings.

Our next stop was the S-21 Detention Center: a former school that was taken over by the Khmer Rouge and converted into a prison and torture chamber. Classrooms were converted into cells, with some as small as 2 feet wide and six feet deep…not even big enough to fit me laying down. The entire center is now a museum and memorial with a complete history of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide as well as photos of the deceased, both before and after. Based on the words of our tuk tuk driver we though we would be out of the museum in an hour. In reality, it took us nearly three to get through it all.

To end on a happier note, below is a video of one of the happier things we saw in Phnom Penh: local music being played at the Royal Palace…

Ice is delivered in carts and cut with a saw before being taken into bars and restuarants for use

I am obsessed with the way ice is delivered. Every day, a truck or van or bike comes by with a giant block of ice. Street vendors, restaurants and individuals come up, tell the ice man how much they want and he proceeds to saw it off with a rusty saw and hand it to the customer. They then cart it off by hand, in a bag, on a bike or any other way they can. Some times they rest the ice on the ground before paying and hauling it away…and I’m sure it’s not washed before ending up in my drink!

Every day it seemed to rain, but the skies parted and beautiful weather blessed us for our three days in Angkor.

After seven months we finally started taking our malaria medicine.

Lots of sellers are very whiny “Pleeeease buy my teeeeeshirt. Why don’t you want my waaaaater?”

Rather than carry guidebooks for each country the whole time, we find that most countries have photocopied versions of Lonely Planet country guides available for less than $4 each. They cost at least $20 at home.

I got my Cambodia Lonely Planet guidebook copy at Sadhana Forest from a friend in February, 2009. It was July 2009 when we visited Cambodia. Yet, the published date on the book was August 2009. How is that possible?

Gas stations are attended by children at times

Our gas station attendant on one tuk tuk ride was a little boy.

One bus ride stopped at a side of the road fruit stall, during which most of the locals got off to shop and, in total, brought back on at least 200 pounds of jackfruits and durians.

Even paved highways are covered in dirt due to the sides of the road bleeding onto them during heavy rains.

I saw a very stern and professional army officer walking around with a little pink backpack.

Children are very rarely supervised and wander all over the place.

Cambodia has far more undeveloped countryside than the rest of Southeast Asia…as far as I’ve seen.

Most houses in the countryside are built on wood, built on stilts, have shanty stairs or ramps leading up to them but have the most beautiful roofs.

I have seen more US $2 bills in Cambodia than I ever have back at home.

Every bus we were on seemed to play a dubbed movie where a bald Asian kid fights demons and zombies by kicking and flying through the air. I find them entertaining, but the Cambodians LOVE them, laughing and cheering along the whole time.

Giving blood for the first time in Siem Reap

I gave blood for the first time in my life at a Cambodian blood bank in Siem Reap. Apparently I’m A-Negative.

While giving blood, the doctor, and educated man, was commenting how my blood was better than Carrie’s because I’m a man. He said to Carrie, “can you throw a football? I think not. He can. Can you climb a tree? Probably not, but he can.”

Giving blood was Carrie’s idea but I’m the one who walked away unscathed. She had a massive bruise and lump where the needle went in for more than a week.

More than 800 tourists a year donate blood to the clinic we went to…probably because they offer a free tee shirt. What traveler can say no to a free tee shirt?!

Many hotels have tuk tuk drivers waiting around for people to check in. They show the room then explain that they are a driver and can take the person wherever they want to go. You then become their property and they get really angry if you use anyone but them. I’m sorry, when did I become your possession?

Many bus companies sell your name to their friends at your destination, so when you get out of a bus there is someone there with your name on a sign waiting for you.

Traditional Cambodian dance costumes

We saw some local dance and music performances, which were pretty cool.

Cambodian money uses no change, only bills.

Seriously, if you don’t understand what I’m saying, don’t nod your head and say yes and then do something else. Like when a moto driver takes you somewhere that is not your destination. It just gaurentees an argument and possible non-payment.

Most prices are in dollars and ATMs only give out US Dollars. Change is given in local currency. So 1,000 riel is 25 cents. If something is $3.50, you pay $3 US and 2,000 riel. Very weird.

A tuk tuk driver that we used our first day at Angkor came and found us on our second day to make sure that we were really using bikes and not just going with someone else. Seriously, we’re not you’re property!

Despite how many streets there are and how many cars and bikes are on the road, there are amazingly few traffic lights. Still, traffic seems to flow just fine.

Carrie at Thommanon after we had a shot of rice wiskey with local workers

All gardening and manicuring at the Angkor complex is done by an army of workers. We stopped and had a drink of rice whiskey with a few of them at the end of our bike riding day.

The workers we had rice whiskey with told us that gardeners, guards and other workers at Angkor make around $25 per month for 12 hour work days and most have second jobs to make ends meet.

In order to get a souvenir vendor who was following me in Angkor to go away I told him that a different group of people wanted to buy his stuff. He replied, “no, they are Japanese. They no buy.”

Every day in Siem Reap I had a bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast. It was amazing and a little taste of home. Well, minus the Kraft singles…

Cambodian tourist sites are filled with kids selling books, such as these that found us on a patio by our hotel in Phnom Penh (taken by Carrie)

Cambodia is filled with kids selling all sorts of books wherever tourists go. The most popular ones are photocopied Lonely Planets, biographies of Pol Pot and tales relating to the Khmer Rouge.

The little kids at tourist stops are extremely smart and usually speak at least 4-5 languages. They also know most of the world and city capitals. All in a never-ending effort to impress tourists enough to buy their wares.

While wandering the streets of Siem Reap at night, our group was surrounded by cute little kids who all wanted to hold hands and be friendly. My hand was, of course, guarding my pocket the whole time. One girl complained that the girl holding her hand tried to slip her ring off.

Everyone is friendly until it’s time to talk money.

Every time Sportscenter comes on the TV I get excited that I might see some baseball highlights…instead I just see cricket.

In many convenience stores in Siem Reap the counter contains a row of condoms right next to a row of Viagra and other performance enhancing drugs

In many convenience stores in Siem Reap the counter contains a row of condoms right next to a row of Viagra and other performance enhancing drugs. Hilarious! (and I’m curious to see how much this blog gets spammed because I used the word Viagra on a Web page)

Most people we talked to have great English skills…way better than anywhere else on the trip.

Finally, we got a massage from blind people in Siem Reap. Recommended by Lonely Planet and countless other travelers, it was one of the sketchiest activities ever. We went down a dark alley to a dirty building used as the massage parlor. We shared a hot and stuffy room with another couple. The masseur felt me up from head to toe to figure out my body dimensions (understandable since he’s blind).

The four massage therapists were talking to each other in Khmer the whole time and laughing. We had to put on thick hospital scrubs that were too small and made us sweat like crazy. The massage was mostly pushing down and was super painful. And, after it was over, one of the massage therapists grabbed the other’s crotch…probably to check for an erection. Even Carrie, who has had countless massages, ranks it as one of the strangest of her life.

And one final video…the Coconut Dance as performed by kids in Siem Reap.

Dancing under the full moon

Imagine a beach with a few hundred feet between the water and a row of bars roughly a quarter mile long. Each bar is blasting music at concert volumes and selling buckets full of alcohol to anyone regardless of age or level of intoxication. Add some blacklights, body painting, glow in the dark items, food stalls and stages for people to dance on. Now put 10,000 people on the beach and see what happens.

While many revelers arrive on the day of the party, we got to Koh Phangan a day early so we would have time to check it all out before the madness began. After waking up in the late afternoon on our first day we wandered around and saw everyone setting up. That evening we attended a pool party next door to our hotel that was filled with a combination of people having a great time horsing around in the pool and others dancing on the dance floor. A wild scene unlike anything I’ve seen before, but as we were not in bathing suits or dancing, it was time to check out the beach.

Even though it was a warm-up night, there were still a few thousand people dancing away on the beach. The music was great, though it was a bit hard to hear at times as the bars are all right next to each other and the different songs mix together. As for the selection it was mostly trance, techno and an occasional hip hop song.

Over the course of the night our group was both together and separated, but every time we saw each other it was like finding a long lost friend in the crowd. At around 5am a flaming jump rope came out and we had a blast watching the drunks try and play. Carrie and I spent the night and early morning dancing our hearts out until the sun came up over the ocean behind us and they shut the music off. By the time we finally made it home it was past 7am.. Quite a warm-up.

While we all slept until 5pm the island underwent a transformation. People arrived in packs, every local was out selling something and the island felt positively electric. Tonight there was no pool party, no other activities…just the beach. The sky was clear, the moon full, the music blasting and we were ready to go!

Upon arriving at the beach the first thing we noticed was a huge police presence that was lacking the night before. There was also a “sleep area” where people who had a little too much fun could go and be kept safe by the on-site medical staff. It was good to see that precautions were being taken, as we had heard horror stories about full moon parties in the past.

Carrie shows off her glow in the dark tattoo in front of a wall filled with all of the options one could get painted on them

For those not needing police or medical attention, there were rows of stalls with blacklight body paint. Each one had pretty much the same designs, which they would paint on you for a price. The beach was also filled with people selling glow in the dark bracelets, hats, glasses and necklaces. Pretty much everyone on the beach had some sort of neon aspect to them. Mine was a bright green neon stick around my wrist.

Food stalls were set up all over the beach and taxi speedboats were waiting to take people to private parties on yachts anchored just off shore. Countless people were out in the water swimming, sitting, standing or laying down in one of the boats foolish enough to park there for the night. Pretty much everyone had a bucket of booze.

The actual party was the same as the night before: just about five times bigger. Pretty much the entire beach was filled with people dancing, talking, walking around, flirting and having a great time. There were fire dancers, people blowing fire, guys and girls spinning fire and, of course, more fire jump rope.

When sunrise finally came, there were tons more people on the beach than the day before. The music also never stopped. While we went back to the room around 7:30am, we met people who were dancing until nearly 3pm. Crazy!

Carrie and I in front of a full moon sunrise

So is it the greatest, biggest and best party in the world? That’s what they say and I do see some merit in the statement. The beach layout is great and gives people a large area to do things without having everything too spread out. Even with 10,000 people there is still room to move around.

At the same time, the closeness of the bars gets a bit old when the music mixes together. Also, if dancing the night away isn’t your thing then this is not the place to be. I feel like the best party in the world would have more options. For now I’ll label it a pretty awesome party and revisit the statement when I go to more of the “best parties in the world.”

Sunrise dance party at 530am

The beach is full of people partying

Pool party at Coral Bungalows

Firedancing with a double sided light saber stick

Blacklight body painting