Webification

Photograph Distracts Fan from Meeting Celebrities 

A fan missed her moment to meet a favorite band because a photograph of the band members captivated her.

 By Allyson Cole

The Photograph

As we were on our way to the concession stand at Six Flags Over Georgia, a group gathered by the gated stage entrance of the amphitheater. The group consisted of mostly girls looking up and pointing at the ride from which my friends and I had just escaped: Superman: Ultimate Flight. The girls were enthusiastically discussing a group preparing for the takeoff of the next ride. We realized that the band performing later that day, had just been harnessed into the ride. The band members looked down and waved at the shrieking crowd that had gathered below.

My friends and I went back up the ramp and once again gazed at the action photos taken on the ride. We saw the crazy faces of the band members on the display screens. However, as we looked at the overpriced photos this second time, this captured celebrity moment didn’t seem as expensive as the memory of our ride. It even felt necessary to buy, an obligation given our near brush with the stars.

Missed Moment

As we were digging into our bags for money, we heard young men laughing breathlessly while looking at photos of the most recent ride. They spoke of the looks on their faces, and how their hair was so misplaced and disheveled. When the middle-aged woman behind the counter asked if they wanted to buy the photo, they politely declined and began walking out of the store.

Just as the man selling me the photo had handed me my change, my friend tapped me on the shoulder. Distracted, I only glimpsed at what she pointed at and continued to put the loose change in my wallet. She once again tapped my shoulder and told me to look at what she saw. In plain view, I saw four men and two bodyguards being tailed by a throng of animated girls. I realized then that the young men standing behind me were one of my favorite bands. I didn’t know they were a mere foot away. I was so distracted by getting my hands on an image of them that I missed a chance to witness a moment with them in real time.

Memory

That band no longer influences me, but I still have the photograph. It’s in a small keychain that hangs on the wall of my bedroom and collects dust, reminding me that at that moment in time, I chose to spend my money on a photograph of four people who didn’t know me, rather than one of my friends and me.

Tags: photo, photograph, roller coaster, band, concert, ride, celebrity, stars

Wordle