I'll be honest; I was super anxious over this shoot that I only told three people about it upon confirming that I was part of the Paradise team. Knowing myself, I'd go around telling everyone right away. Limiting it to three people was already a big deal. You don't get the opportunity to shoot Kanye West everyday so, who was I to pass up on such offer?
The night before Paradise, I was actually researching on how Kanye lights his stage because I had no clue how to shoot such a legend. I was starting to panic in the middle of Wiz Khalifa's set because I felt like I had all of my settings wrong and I was praying for a single decent photo. Just one photo would've been enough but here I am dedicating an entire post for Kanye's set alone. (thank you, Yeezus!) Read on for more photos!
The most memorable thing for me while shooting is that I was actually left blinded for a moment by Kanye's security. The 3-song rule allows photographers to take photos only during the first three hours of the artist's set. I only thought that was applicable for the photo pit. I was flashed by Kanye's security straight in the eye while my lens was in full zoom. I seriously couldn't see though my right eye for a few minutes.
I wasn't much of a fan so, it came as a shocker when I knew words to his songs (save it for All of the Lights. I don't think I'll ever get sick of that song.)
Don't ruin it for me but I feel like Kanye was staring right at my camera.
This photo is my absolute favorite! The moment I saw it, I immediately thought "OKAY NA I GOT THAT SINGLE SHOT THAT I WANT I CAN STOP SHOOTING NA." (Yes, I think in all caps.)
BONUS! Smiling Kanye!
It's understandable how other people may have better photos or better words to say but I'm just glad I came through with this entire thing. I dragged myself to a 19-hour music festival while carrying the burden of my majors (I never want to hear about Muntinlupa elections ever again). I didn't think I'd come up with quality output but seeing all this feels like a big pat on the back. (And to think I was shooting on full manual mode! Thank you, Jaja!)