Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

I ran into Bradley Cooper the other night. Well, not exactly. I've been shooting for the Santa Barbara Film Festival. I wasn't needed to shoot the red carpet event of his arriving to receive an award for Outstanding Performer of the Year, but I went just to watch the circus. People had been lined up for hours around the barricades, waiting for him to arrive. All the press had their spots marked out. His handler already had the media outlets he would speak to on notice. 

I don't really have any interest in shooting things like this. While I can hold my own, I'm not particularly aggressive in making sure I get my shot, nor am I inclined to get the same shot as the person next to me. I'm also not terribly impressed by celebrity by itself. Rather than show up with any hopes of getting a specific shot or trying to get an autograph, I just hung back and watched the madness. 

I was most intrigued by the zoo-like aspect of it all, and what was going through everyone's minds. Every camera and every set of eyes were trained on him simultaneously - some feverishly. How does that feel for him? While I'm sure it's flattering to have the acknowledgement and accolades, it's gotta take its toll. It has to be dehumanizing to some degree, feeling like fish in a tank. 

He was taking short interviews down the line, getting closer to me. I hadn't hardly lifted my camera for anything more than a crowd photo when it suddenly seemed like he was looking right at me while speaking to the woman from Extra. I looked around to see if there was something or someone next to me, and he glanced away, but came right back to it a second later. I figured if he's looking at me, I may as well take my shot... But when I held the camera up, he looked away again, then back, still talking. I waited until he was looking again to fire, but the moment was brief. What I got wasn't great, and I kind of felt bad for taking it.

Bradley may not have been looking at me at all. He could have been looking past me, or just spacing out into a crowd, or maybe he couldn't even see anything beyond the camera's lights. I'll never know, but it sure seemed like he found comfort in having some eyes to look back at him like a person, so I left my camera down and tried to give him some respect. He kept on with his interviews and kept glancing my way until he headed up to the step and repeat. 

He seemed like a genuine, present, and pleasant man. All I know is that I was definitely out of place and felt bad for contributing. I guess every job has it's downsides, even for the rich and famous.