Jess is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to photograph Greta Van Fleet on their upcoming tour but is blindsided by how quickly one can fall in love from behind the lens. A story of love, family, and friendship, and finding balance between the t...
"Never did I think after all these years of capturing the hearts and souls of those around me through the beauty of my viewfinder, that it would one day lead me to the one who would capture mine."
I took a quick photo of the crimson red bus that stood just a few feet away, wanting to document day one of this new adventure; this bus would be my home for the next 3 months as I embarked on my first ever official tour as the photographer for Greta Van Fleet. I had never met them personally, though I had heard nothing but good things.
I'm hoping they were true. I felt the nerves in my stomach start to radiate throughout my body. Soon enough, a smaller van came barreling into the parking lot, coming to a quick halt just a few feet from where I stood. I snapped a few photos.
Something told me this was a moment I was going to remember for the rest of my life.
One by one they stepped out of the van, laughing amongst themselves and finding their footing. I watched as they unloaded their things from the back of the van, tossing bags over their shoulders, two of which carrying guitar cases, and then they made their way over to the tour bus.
The nerves grew.
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"Hi!" one said to me, adjusting his case and reaching out his hand "I'm Danny. Thanks for coming out, we really appreciate it. Our go-to couldn't make it this time around so it was awesome you were available last minute." The nerves started to subside. "Of course!" I said, shaking his hand. "Who wouldn't make the time for an opportunity like this." He nodded and made his way onto the bus. So far so good.
"You must be Jess!" the next one said, nodding in my direction. "I'm Sam. Thanks again for coming. Are you excited? We kinda revamped the show a little from our last tour so you should have a lot of opportunities for great shots." "Oh, that's awesome." I said "Yeah, I'm excited. Thanks again for thinking of me." He smiled and made his way onto the bus.
The final two boys lingered back a bit, taking their time and keeping to themselves, laughing at one another as they struggled with the rest of the luggage. The nerves started to creep back in again.
"Hey!" one finally said, he dropped a bag and reached out his hand, gently taking mine. "Nice to meet you, I'm Josh. We're super excited to have you. I'm the one that recommended you to our team so I can't wait to see how good you make me look." He flashed me a smile. I could feel my cheeks start to burn as I gently shook his hand back. "Well, I'm glad you trust me with that." I laughed. He didn't let go. "And don't just think of it as work, you can have fun too. We don't bite. Hang out, relax. This is all of our home for a while. We can all be friends." I nodded, feeling my face get even redder. I really hoped he couldn't tell. He nodded and finally let go, grabbing his bags and hopping up the steps of the bus two at a time.
"Sorry about him." The last one said, he took my hand and shook it. "He can be a little.. intense sometimes." I laughed. "I'm sure he's fine." He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I'm Jake, by the way." The nerves started to go away again. I sighed. "Nice to meet you, I'm Jess."
He smiled and I saw his cheeks flush a bright shade of pink as I squeezed his hand a little tighter to shake back. He looked down and then back up at me. "But he's right. Um.. don't be a stranger. We're going on this trip together. We might as well all be friends." I nodded.
"Yeah." I said "Friends."
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