Moments

The Moment: Biggie & Tupac, I'm a Bad Boy-T Dot Eric
The Moment: Biggie & Tupac, I'm a Bad Boy

It wasn’t until 2011 when I was sorting through slide photographs and beginning to catalog my images that I seriously took a look at that one slide of a dude giving me the finger with a strong shadow on his face…"No f’n way!" I said, shocked I didn’t realize the guy with the shadow in his face was Tupac.

The Moment: De La Soul, Eye Am Eye Be-T Dot Eric
The Moment: De La Soul, Eye Am Eye Be

I did not have a light meter to tell me the proper f-stop to set my aperture, nor did I have polaroid back to see what things actually looked like.  My camera was a Canon AE-1 Program, manual everything.

I would make the flashes pop every so often so I could see where and how the light fell, I did a few calculation to determine possible f-stops based on feet of the flash away from the subject, how much light I would lose because of the gel on the flash, it was the best I could do.

 

The Moment: The Pharcyde, As One-T Dot Eric
The Moment: The Pharcyde, As One

Using the ambient light in the hallway I began shooting them from different angles. After the first 8 frames, the group relaxed and stopped doing the typical 'rap, yo!' poses, vibing with each other. Each of their actions was fluid, in sync with the movements of the others. If there was a low angle shift, someone else moved high; if someone gave a look, someone else would motion or adjust their look to stay complementary to the person adjacent.

The Moment : Erykah Badu-T Dot Eric
The Moment : Erykah Badu
Casually, I still snapped a photo here and there of Erykah’s set, but there wasn’t with the same sense of urgency as if I had been shooting the show from the Pit, in front of the stage. I was able to actually watch and enjoy the performance. Sitting a decent way back still allowed me to capture a few moments, but at a natural pace. I used my Tamron telephoto lens, no flash, one roll of color film and one roll of black and white film.
The Moment: Tupac Blunt Dry-T Dot Eric
The Moment: Tupac Blunt Dry

I was able to capture a personal vibe among Tupac and his friends — guys from the groups Thug Life and the Outlawz. After the main taping was done, the news cameras started to leave. The bulk of the news press got the shots they needed to portray Tupac as the “Dangerous Thug,” which they would print in the next day’s papers. It felt like Tupac knew how to play with the media to keep his name in the press. He knew how to press their buttons, challenge them mentally; their only recourse was to portray him as a troublemaker. The pattern was reactive and visible.

The Moment : Ladybug Mecca and Guru-T Dot Eric
The Moment : Ladybug Mecca and Guru

As enchanted as I was, I didn't stay for the recording of the song. I must have had somewhere to be. Before I left the studio, I was in the lounge, preparing to leave. Ladybug Mecca and Guru were seated on the couch across from me — not songwriting — just vibing, having a good moment.

I quietly took out my camera, waited a moment. Mecca looked into Guru. Guru looked into me.

The Moment : Nas, Tall & Strong-T Dot Eric
The Moment : Nas, Tall & Strong
I did not know Nas directly, nor know enough about him to conjure what he typically looked like in photograph. I didn't have a pre-conceived subject. I wanted to capture him as he was, in the moment. Nas has a strong,  quiet presence. Watching and observing from non-traditional angles allowed me to see different perspectives, different ways to allow him to tell a story without saying a word. I never directed his movements or actions. I just watched, observed, and captured.