The Future In My Hands
“I saw rock and roll’s future..and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” ~ Jon Landau, rock critic
One of the best things about my love of photography has been the people that I’ve met via that machine hanging off my shoulder. Opportunities have arisen, doors have opened to things that I never expected when I first pick up that Canon Rebel back in 2000.
This became evident to me again last week when a package came in the mail. I had a pretty good idea what was in it, but I was still thrilled when I opened it.
To back up…waaaaay up…it was May 9, 1974 when Bruce and the band would play at show at Harvard Square Theater in Cambridge. Music critic Jon Landau was in attendance. I doubt he paid the $4 ticket fee.
Also in attendance that evening was a young photographer from Massachusetts, Barry Schneier. He had his camera with him, and capture one of the most iconic of early Boss images, the one above: Bruce, at the piano, plinking out the opening cords of a song.
(Barry calls this photo For You…yet according to the track listing, Bruce doesn’t play that song at this show.)
I first met Barry back in 2014, when I was on a Springsteen panel and Barry’s photos were being shown on the campus of Monmouth University.
We met again in 2015 when I shot a panel he was on, again at Monmouth. And then again last March in Princeton.
After the Princeton event, I made prints of the group shot of the photographers, and send each one an 8X10 as a little remembrance.
Barry and I have been friends on Facebook for a while now and over the holidays, he sent me a note asking if I can send him another print of the group. He mentioned we can do a photo trade.
I said sure, no problem. It was easy enough to get a new print made for him. But in addition to the group shot, I sent also included a 16×24 of two of his favorite people.
While Barry certainly has a lot of photos of these two, I thought he’d like to have this special one, shot in Asbury Park. He may have shot Bruce and the gang at Harvard Square, Gillette Stadium and Madison Square Garden…but he’s never shot them in Little Eden!
He sent me a really nice note of thanks. I truly think he was as happy with the photos I sent him as I was of the special print he sent me.
And it’s these types of connections that make being involved with photography even more special. Now may next step is to get this baby framed!
(To see more of Barry’s photos from that night, and to read Jon’s full account of the performance, click here.)
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