Maile Braves The Photo Pit

louisianatravel | Fri May 1

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Several years ago, when I first came to Jazz Fest, my white skirt ended up completely covered in mud. To this day, I am still haunted by the memory of mothers warning their children to “stay away from her honey, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

So, when Victoria called and asked if I would be interested in photographing the festival, I had never been more excited nor more terrified. This was was my first real photography assignment since moving to Louisiana and the chance to photograph musicians I love so much from “the pit” (something I had only read about in the New York Times) gave me goosebumps. On the other, I was going back to the place where mothers warned their progeny to steer clear of the mud covered New Yorker.

Needless to say, on Thursday morning, I packed up my camera, made certain I wasn’t wearing anything white at all and wondered: What would be waiting? Chiding mothers? Ill-tempered photojournalists who were willing to shove an inexperienced 24-year-old girl in flip flops (with her flower camera bag) out of the way just so they could snap a quick shot of Ben Harper from the left of the stage? I was very worried for my toes… and my flower camera bag. Making my way through the crowds and the fantastic sounds over to the press office to pick up my photographer’s pass (making sure to stop for Jambalaya and other fried goodness on the way), I walked into the tent and tried to sound as though I had done this a thousand and a half times before. “Yeah, I’m here to get my pass…”. The lady smiled. Suddenly I was wearing a wrist band with the words “PHOTOGRAPHERS PIT” sparkling up at me. It was the coolest wrist band I had ever seen. Best day ever.

To start off, I figured I would test the photographer-infested waters on the smaller Fais Do-Do stage where Sonny Bourg and the Bayou Blues Band were finishing their set. I walked through the crowd only to be greeted by metal barricades blocking access to the front of the stage. I paused; I snapped a couple photographs and then ran away.

Yup, I am awesome.

Plopping into the chair next to my group, and feeling slightly defeated, it would seem that I had taken a rather pitiful photograph of a sign. Second attempt. I got back up and walked back to the Fais Do-Do stage to realize that I hadn’t really entered “the pit” on my first attempt at all. It was on the other side of the bars! Like I said, best day ever.

Suddenly I lost track of everything that was going on around me. I had the best view in the entire festival and a super awesome telephoto lens to capture it all. I felt the force of the speakers as I walked into the barricaded photographer area and got to see the Mardi Gras Indians and The Meter Men at touching distance! It turns out the other photographers were just as excited to be there as I was—- and they even grinned at me and my snowball stained teeth (blue, btw).

The thing about Jazz Fest is that everyone who is there is excited to be there. The staff, the musicians, the photographers—-everybody. Ever since 1970, Jazz Fest has brought people together to dance, hula-hoop, eat everything from snowballs to jambalaya, get mud splashed on them—- and most of all listen to fantastic music. The 40th anniversary, of course, was no exception. Even though the second weekend is almost at an end, I’m already anxiously awaiting next years festival so I can be a part of the excitement and sheer joy that is The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Happy Jazz Fest everyone!!

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Bio of our contributor: Maile Lani is a photographer who recently moved from New York to Louisiana. She cites her favorite places on earth as being: New Orleans (of course), Buenos Aires—- and finally Coney Island in New York. Her web site is: emptycrowdedroom and she will be photographing Thursday’s Jazz Fest too. Stay tuned.