Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:35:21 -0700 From: Rodney Chen Subject: [BARGE] Two Oh Nine (aka a boring tale on how a melodramatic picture came to exist) SATURDAY, 12:20pm. The temperature outside exceeded 100 degrees. 209 folks gathered just outside Binion's and lined up, some sitting, one lying across the sidewalk, blocking off the Fremont Street Experience to foot traffic. For a Saturday afternoon, there weren't too many tourists, maybe because of the heat, or as some of the participants to attest, too hungover from the cheap booze while playing the dark side at craps. The few tourists quickly scurry out of the way, clearing a path for me to snap a photo re-creating a shot taken 13 years ago. ONE YEAR AGO BARGE 2008. The symposium just wrapped up. I wander up to Nick and Peter, and say, "So, next year?" Only a few people knew about a crazy idea that came up after I had seen the 1996 shot. I had taken a couple test shots a couple days before and arranged to bring a collapsable ladder from the house I stay at, a stone's throw from Penn Jillette's self described 'house of a 12-year-old with money'. If you have ever driven by it, you'll understand that my confidence in pulling this off is about par with the insanity of that pad. The organizers and I agree. Since it wasn't announced it would be too hard to pull it off. It would have to wait a year. TUESDAY, 10:35am. SFO. I'm lined up to check my bag to Las Vegas. Normally for Vegas, even for a short trip, I can avoid checking a bag, but this trip would be different. The group shot was on. Peter would say in an e-mail that the organizers avoid laughing too hard if I fell off the ladder. Not even 72 hours before my flight Doyle would be announced as the speaker, so I add video gear to the mix. This was the first time I weighed all my bags, making sure I was under the weight limits. One would skirt by just 2 pounds. I was at the airport an hour early, yet there were 20 people ahead of me for my flight that was scheduled to depart at 10:45am. One quarter of those 20 were kids flying solo so all the agents were tied up with paperwork, and there were only 2 gate agents. I finally get the bag checked and by some miracle, I'm through the TSA security theater and get on the flight a minute before the tin can pulls away. Of course, the bag with the backup camera and video gear is late checked and doesn't make the flight. A trip to M's buffet is in order while I wait for it to arrive three hours later. I try to shrug it off and hope that it's the only kink in my quest. WEDNESDAY, 12:00pm. To the tourists who were confused by the zombiefied person snapping random photos of you and counting off paces near the stage, I apologize. I present to you Exhibit A as my defense. Total hours of sleep since Sunday: 7 Ignore the minor detail that I would have gotten more sleep had I not finished runner up at the Pot Limit Courchevel tourney the previous evening. I call the house. My long time friend Bob answers. Me: "Hey, you have that ladder I needed last year?" Bob: "Um, that ladder was borrowed, so it's not at the house anymore." Me: "What?! Crap. Ok, I'll figure something out." Across the way was a stage platform for the Summer of '69 concert series. Ding. It's fenced off, but seems to be in a perfect location to get the shot. As I shoot more test shots from the ground I two guys on bikes and one on a Segway converge on a homeless guy sitting down and make him move. Ok, probably not a problem. Then I see them converge on a tourist sitting down 20 yards away and make her get up too. Problem. There's only one course of action now. Getting arrested for being on the platform is an acceptable liability. FRIDAY, 9:50am. As I exit the Nugget and get blasted by the warming Las Vegas air, I'm floored with what I see. There's fencing erected around the stage and the red carpet was being rolled out. Banners were hanging from the rafters. It's Oscar Goodman's 70th birthday. And he's partying right where I intend to shoot. 40 Vegas showgirls. Cirque du Soleil performers. Wayne Brady. Multiple music acts. Flowing Bombay. The Happiest Mayor in the world knows how to throw a party for a few thousand, but also knows how to turn someone into a basket case. (See http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/upilv/gallery/Fremont-Street-Experience/G0000Nn4oYurivAQ for proof) SATURDAY, 1:15am. I had bailed out of the Karaoke before Bohemian Rhapsody. Dead tired, I wanted to prep all the gear before I crashed. I setup the pair of flash stands in case I wanted to add some more lighting to people's faces. One flash works fine. I cable up the 2nd one and try to put plug A in slot B. Slot B doesn't exist. That flash was borrowed from a friend, thinking the older version would have a PC Sync Port, for you camera geeks. I channel Jon Stewart. Damn you Cannnnnon! SATURDAY, 5:15am. No, that's not a typo. I could not sleep. Wandering outside, I am relieved that the VIP area fencing is gone. Yet another walkthrough of setting it up and making crude drawings to show the organizers what to do at the first break. SATURDAY, 12:25pm. I wander towards the entrance to the Golden Nugget and as I'm double checking settings on the camera and walking through the setup in my head I glance up. A pair of Vegas Metro cops were waiting next to the fenced off platform on their bikes, drawn to the assembled mob, wearing their distinctive collared yellow shirts. This wasn't in the plan! The shirts were supposed to be black uniforms! The authority figures were supposed to be commanding me to come down, not be ready before I climb up! Cop: "What's this for?" Me: "It's a poker tournament. I'd like to shoot from atop the platform with your permission." (with every intention ignoring a no answer and heading right on up) Cop: "That's fine." The rest is history. -- A numbered photo is now uploaded, see how many BARGErs you can name in 10 minutes! http://www.flickr.com/photos/beakertehmuppet/3814402252/sizes/o/ Also, the last of my pictures are now online. http://www.flickr.com/photos/beakertehmuppet/sets/72157621821789547/detail/ This set includes previously unpublished photos of ToC/NLH final tables, the symposium, banquet, karaoke, and cash games. The entire BARGE 2009 colleciton of pictures are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beakertehmuppet/collections/72157621948245890/ Thanks for reading, and thank you for letting me capture the spirit of BARGE. Rodney