The Longest Night

This is going to be a fun one to write.

The following story reflects—in as much detail as I can fit into this blog—one of the best and worst nights of my life. Last December, I was super fortunate to have the opportunity to shoot for one of my favorite country artists ever, Kolby Cooper. When I got the green light for this shoot, I just about fell out of my chair (after I finished screaming like a child).

In all seriousness, I was honored to have the chance to shoot for this guy, and I began making plans for everything that I needed to have ready months in advance. The concert was taking place in College Station, Texas, so it would be about a three-hour drive for me from DBU. At the time this seemed like a minor detail—three hours in the car isn't that bad—and I had been on longer road trips. The only difference this time would be that I'd be the one behind the wheel of the car.

Looking back now, that's a huge difference.

The morning of the shoot, I woke up and drove to three different Starbucks. Two times, my maps took me to a Starbucks located inside of a Target and I would seriously rather drive five more miles than have to walk inside of a Target to order my coffee (also it's just never as good). After I'd had my caffeine I loaded up my gear into my car and set off for College Station around noon—the concert wasn't until 9:00 that night. To make the most of my extra time, I stopped by Baylor University and grabbed a bite with a friend in one of their dining halls which could not have been more different than what I was used to at DBU.

From there I finished the drive to College Station and made it in time for a late dinner at Double Dave's (Hot Take: they have the best pizza rolls in College Station). After riding electric scooters around Texas A&M's campus with my twin brother, Jake, it was finally time for me to head over to the concert venue. The venue had a line of concertgoers forming at the door, and like a fool, I completely missed the crew entrance. I waited in the entire line of people waiting to get into the concert. When I finally got to the front, they showed me to the side entrance where I literally could have entered the whole time.

Upon my arrival, I realized Jaden Hamilton was opening for Kolby, and I was super excited. I had been listening to his music since his first EP. He said something that stuck with me the rest of the night. I had been considering what exactly my next steps should look like with my business—should I stay in college and get my degree, or go out and see if I can make it somewhere else? He chose to drop out of LSU to pursue music, but he said,

"Ultimately, you're going to have to make a decision. What do you want? Once you know that, go for it. And don't look back because it doesn't matter what they think." -Jaden Hamilton

He absolutely killed his performance and I had a blast shooting photos for him.

Shooting for Kolby Cooper, I had my first opportunity to get on stage during a performance. I not only worked below in the photo pit but also mounted the stairs to get shots from the sides and behind. The rush of adrenaline I got from looking out at that crowd was amazing. I wasn't even performing, but to see a crowd singing, jumping, and yelling in delight was insane to witness from the stage. As I pressed my back against the barrier to get angles for some of my shots, people were grabbing at me and begging me to retrieve their lost drinks, rings, and who knows what else. So many people were dropping their phones over the barrier that I retrieved two or three before abandoning any effort to help—I didn't want to miss a moment of the concert.

By the time I finished shooting it was well past midnight and I wish the story ended there. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't. I packed up all of my gear and got ready to head back to DBU (I would have spent the night in College Station with my brother, but I had a Macroeconomics quiz at 8:00 that morning). About fifteen minutes into my drive back, I realized that I was going to need something to keep me awake for the rest of the drive because I was exhausted. I plugged a Love's gas station into my maps and figured I'd stop and get a Redbull.

Literally two seconds after I finished inputting my destination, I noticed two red and blue flashing lights in my rearview mirror. Whatever life was still in me at that point immediately left my body. I'd had so much fun shooting for one of my idols that night, but it looked like it was taking a turn for the worse.

It was.

After I pulled over to the side of the road, the officer approached my window and asked me if I knew why I was being pulled over. I looked that man straight in the face and said, "I have no idea, sir, I was going 70 mph." He laughed and said I sure was, the only problem was that the speed limit was 35 mph. To this day, I still fail to understand how that is possible. Apple Maps informed me to get on the highway (the speed limit was 70 mph), and I was to be there for 54 miles. I never exited the highway. Apparently, I had to learn the hard way about what people call speed traps in small towns.

Thankfully, the officer only wrote down that I was going 50 mph on my ticket so that I could get it removed from my record, but my next paycheck went straight towards paying off that ticket.

All that to say, I made it back to DBU and it made for a fun memory, but I don't think I'll ever be able to fully trust Apple Maps again. I'm super thankful for everyone that helped me out on that trip with things ranging from meals to hangouts, to life lessons. Jaden's words made me realize that I needed to make a choice. Ultimately, I did and I'm still here at DBU. My path may look different than others' paths, or even different than I thought it would have a year ago, but it has been filled with blessings and stories that I would not have gotten anywhere else.

Take care y'all.

-Luke