A Night with Phillip Phillips

Big decisions—Hard decisions—Saying "no"—Priorities—Commitments. Life is filled with each of these, but they are certainly not easy.

Last October, I had the privilege of taking photos for Phillip Phillips in Fort Worth as he performed on his Where We Came From Tour. It was probably my favorite show that I have had the opportunity to shoot.

Upon my arrival at the venue, Phillip's manager met me out front and brought me backstage to the green room. He introduced me to the band members (some of the coolest guys I have had the pleasure of hanging out with) and Phillip. Phillip was a class act and one of the nicest and most genuine artists that I have had the pleasure of working with thus far. He thanked me for coming and had me put my gear in the back room with his.

From there, I proceeded to spend the entire night with Phillip. We hung out in the green room, talked with the band and crew, ate snacks, and I captured all of it.

At one point, Phillip wanted to go for a walk around downtown Fort Worth, and I went along for a stroll through the city lights at night. We went shopping for a gift for his little son and took portraits in the street. He loves photography as much as I do and had his own camera as we wandered around taking pictures.

When we returned, Phillip went into the backroom to get ready for his show. At first, I stayed back—unaware of his preshow routine—but his manager encouraged me to follow him. What followed was truly one of the most special times I have shared with an artist. For about an hour, we talked about our mutual passions for music and photography as he picked on his guitar. He gave me great advice on the industry and told me countless stories from his career. He has some amazing stories from his time on American Idol, his many tours (including one with John Mayer), and his process for making music. He even played me a song that he had been writing that is now set to be released a week from today on February 10th. "Dancing With Your Shadows" is such a sweet song and I can't wait for the world to hear it.

The show went incredibly well and I got some beautiful concert shots. At the end of the show, Phillip's manager found me and gave me the news that I had been waiting to hear since I began this journey of concert photography: Phillip wanted to take me on the road for the next two shows to Memphis, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky before flying me back to Dallas for my show with Jordy Searcy.

At first, I accepted—of course—and sped home to pack my bag to meet the tour bus. But, during the drive, I began to realize everything that I had going on that weekend. I was supposed to be in Austin shooting a formal for a fraternity as well as shooting an engagement back in Dallas the day after.

I called my friends and other photographers with my predicament and received many answers: "You're crazy if you don't go," "You owe it to the people you committed to first," "Can you get your other gigs covered?" "You'll regret not going for the rest of your life." 

That night I had to make one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. In the living room of my house—with my "All Access Pass" in hand—I called Phillip's manager to tell him how sorry I was, but I had to honor my prior commitments and would not be able to make the tour. Later that night, I was reminded of a Proverb.

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." - Proverbs 16:3

In the moment, it was incredibly hard to make that decision. Especially, because I had made it before. Phillip was the second headline tour that I declined in the span of a year despite my dream of going on the road. However, I was reminded that my plans fail in comparison to God's plans for my life. My dreams are great, but God works in ways far greater than I ever could. 

My dream of going on tour lives on—now, especially with Phillip—but I will patiently wait for God's timing to surpass mine. Throughout my journey of building this brand, I have seen God move in ways that I truly do not understand. Opportunities arise from places I never would have dreamed of and I am so thankful that I serve a God who knows me and my future more than I ever will. He has promised to watch over my footsteps and establish my plans. As I remain committed to him, I continue to love him more each day and am falling more in love with the journey he has me on.