So I was invited this year to Catalyst to take part in the backstage experience as a photographer. Three days (2 conference days plus labs). Dozens of speakers, tens of thousands of people, musicians, entertainers, volunteers, and more. Along with the very talented Andy Brophy, we were tasked with capturing as much of the chaos as we possibly could.
You can see some of our collective work here!
There were other photographers at Catalyst as well, but Andy and I had the responsibility of shooting, editing and delivering images to be uploaded to the Catalyst Flickr page throughout each day.
What was this like?
In a word: Challenging.
There is a flurry of activity going on at Catalyst at all times, even during the breaks. So not only did we have to capture the speakers, entertainment and musical/worship acts, we also had to be mindful of what was going on backstage, as interviews were being conducted and people where everywhere.
In addition, we were literally working inside a shower. Internet access was limited at best, meaning Kyle had to get images from us, run out of the shower and down the hall to get enough speed to upload the images to the Flickr page.
So why two photographers? Variation.
A perfect example would be photographing Francis Chan. To say that Chan is merely animated is an understatement. When he speaks, he brings it. Big time. With two photographers, we were able to catch different ‘looks’ Chan threw out.
Here’s one Andy made:
And then one from me:
It was challenging and crazy but also incredibly fun. If you can make it there next year, do so.
It’s an experience you’ll never forget.
Blane Young says
I never thought about collaboration in terms of event photography.
Collective work always seems to have a richer content value…
JayCaruso says
Yes it does!
Stephen Bateman says
Yea I noticed when looking through the 100ish pictures that were posted a few days ago how your different styles work together.
And I’m sure you’ll never forget the shower 😉
JayCaruso says
Of course not. The shower provides story telling ability for all time.