Rise Up NYC

I headed up to Harlem this past weekend for the Rise Up NYC Summer Concert Series featuring Johnny Gill, Doug E Fresh, Big Daddy Kane, Crystal Waters, and a few others. I haven’t shot in Harlem in a couple of years, but I’ve always had good experiences there. Back when I taught high school in the early 90's, I used to take students to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to watch Malcolm X videos since YouTube wasn’t a thing back then. My first trip to Harlem, though, was in 1989 to shoot either Bobby Brown or Big Daddy Kane— I don’t recall which show came first. I do remember having a pull-out poster of Kane in Word Up back in the day. 

I have to admit I was a bit scared on that first trip to Harlem. And that isn’t a statement on Harlem and its reputation. I was much more afraid the first time I went to CBGB in the Bowery in my college days. I recall my friend Richie and I standing on a corner about a block away from the club, trying to figure out how 2 metal fans were going to look natural walking into a NYHC club for the first time.

For this most recent trip to Harlem, my wife and daughter accompanied me uptown, but they didn’t stick around once they realized that they wouldn’t have a good viewing spot for the performances. I entered at 5 pm and my first question was, “When does this event end?” That wasn’t my first concern in my college days, but in these advanced years, it’s the main thing I want to know when I go anywhere. 

I immediately exited the press area and walked a couple of blocks to find a Snickers bar. It was going to be that kind of evening.

The photo pit was split into 2 areas -one on each side of the stage to allow for viewing by the crowd. I don’t mind that, but the front was filled with VIP ticket holders who never stood or showed any enthusiasm for the artists. Since most acts performed with a decent amount of daylight, I imagine it was difficult for them to perform for such a calm audience down in front. 

Concerts like this don’t generate any money for me, but I enjoy shooting live shows periodically. I was shooting for Shutterstock through my friend Soul’s boutique photo agency. He shoots a lot of events each year and covers many of the major events across the country. He’s building a team, and I’m proud to be a part of it. I knew this would be an easy shoot since I had the freedom to upload as many or as few images as I desired and there was no shot list I had to follow. I

used my Nikon D6 rather than the superior Z9. Despite the latter being a better camera in every measurable way, I still love the older DSLR system that we all put to the wayside in favor of mirrorless cameras. My Leica M10 came back from service on the day of the event, so I put that to use as well. 

My credential allowed for backstage access, but I didn’t spend much time there. The photo pit was a bit crowded and I didn’t want to lose my spot. They set up a Johnny Gill photo opp backstage but I didn’t have the best position for that shot although my final image was pretty good. There’s a certain breed of photographer who is really good at angling for position in a crowd, and that just isn’t me. That may be why I’ve always been drawn to studio photography which takes place in settings where I am the only shooter.

At one point, Kane mentioned having performed at the Apollo in the past. The Rise Up event was held in front of that esteemed venue. I recalled photographing him there in my younger days and also shooting both acts like Kane, Public Enemy, and Notorious BIG during various summers in the 90’s. Summer is half over as I write this and it won’t be long before any concerts I photograph will be held indoors to sheild us from the unrelenting cold of the NYC Fall and Winter. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy taking the trip to Harlem on a beautiful summer day to listen to great hip hop and practice the craft of photography that I have loved for so long.