There are many defining moments in a photojournalist’s career. Getting your first camera, whether it be a point-and-shoot or a DSLR is the first. Falling in love with a photo, which in hindsight is actually horrible, is another. The next is getting professional press credentials.

I can now check off all three of those.

When Mumford & Sons announced they were coming to Omaha as part of their world tour, I jumped at the chance to apply for a press pass. My family had already gotten tickets, so either way I would be going. But I thought “hey why not just try.”

The concert was last Tuesday, and I applied early in January. Looking back, this was way too early to sign up. I’m sure the communications coordinator could sense my inexperience.

Turns out, that ended up helping me because the band’s communications director only allowed a few passes to be given. Because I applied so early, I was one of the lucky recipients to be able to photograph the first three songs.

Not going to a large school can be a disadvantage sometimes because some directors of communication don’t believe The Wayne Stater has a large enough circulation to demand a press pass. This is why I thought I wouldn’t get the opportunity.

I was told that I wouldn’t hear about getting a pass until the day of the concert. I hadn’t heard anything the whole day and assumed I wouldn’t get one. I arrived in Omaha a few hours before the concert to get ready. When my family and I left the house, I checked my email one last time.

In one of the subject lines I saw “Mumford & Sons Photo Pass.” My heart quickened and I practically yelled the contents of the email to my parents. We turned the car around so I could go home and get my camera. The whole car ride, I was shaking with excitement and nervousness.

I was so scared that I wouldn’t get the quality pictures I would hope for. I didn’t want my youth and inexperience to show through and make a fool of myself.

When I arrived at the meeting area with the photographers, my voice shook when I introduced myself. Walking through the arena and the backstage area made me want to throw up. But the moment I walked through the curtain and went into the pit, all the nervousness fled, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

I started talking to the concert-goers in general admission and the other photographers. The more I talked, the more excited I became. When the lights dimmed and the arena filled with deafening screams, something inside clicked.

All of a sudden my hands knew what was going on and I started snapping pictures of the band coming on stage. Those three songs were the absolute fastest in my life. I wish I could have stayed down there longer, so I could get more and experiment with my settings more.

After the three songs were done, I went back to my seat to my family, and I immediately started to cry because it hit me that I was five feet away from one of my favorite bands doing what I love.
This experience solidified my choice to become a photojournalist and made me fall in love with photography again.