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LIMITED EDITION PRINTS

"Full Frame Phoenix"

Limited Edition Print #1 - Summer 2020

Signed and numbered

18" x 12" (includes border shown)

Printed by LeZot Camera

Burlington, VT

$50

Includes USPS Priority Shipping

- or -

Free, safe delivery in Burlington, VT area

On June 5th, 2019 at Nectar's on Main St. in Burlington, Vermont, John "Papa" Gros took the stage to play a tribute to the music of one of the greats, Malcolm John Rebennack Jr., aka Dr. John, aka The Night Tripper. The show was part of the 10-day Discover Jazz Festival which I was house photographer for and for the 6th day in a row, I was bouncing around town like crazy trying cover every set and every venue that I possibly could.

 

I walked into the club and made my way through the standing room only crowd. As I neared the stage, I grabbed my #1 Canon 6D, my first new DSLR, bought about 4 years earlier right before the start of my music photography career, and got ready to take my first shot.

I hit the shutter button and immediately knew it finally happened. After almost 200,000 actuations, my shutter assembly had finally bit the dust and my camera was dead. Fortunately, I had anticipated this and had bought a second used 6D a little while before the festival and had the backup body on me. I was able to finish out the night with one camera, rented another for the remaining 4 days, and put the broken one on the shelf in my camera/photo lab. I was happy in knowing that the spontaneous purchase I made in buying that camera, in an attempt to give myself a new project to focus on a little while after coming out of a long term relationship, had in fact been not just a fun distraction but something that would take me into the next phase of both my personal and professional lives.

LUKE AWTRY PHOTOGRAPHY - JOHN PAPA GROS

John "Papa" Gros @ Nectar's

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Burlington, Vermont

June 5th, 2019

This moment would hardly be noteworthy if not for what happened next. I got home, imported all the shots from the day, pulled out a few favorites to post, and then crashed hard. I awoke late in the morning and started to prep for another long day of festival coverage. As I ate breakfast and read the news, my jaw dropped.

The statement from the family read:

“Towards the break of day on June 6, 2019, iconic music legend Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., professionally known as Dr. John, passed away of a heart attack. As a Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee, six-time Grammy winner, songwriter, composer, producer and performer, he created a unique blend of music which carried his hometown, New Orleans, at its heart, as it was always in his heart. The family thanks all whom have shared his unique musical journey, and requests privacy at this time. Memorial arrangements will be arranged in due course.”

It gives me chills when I think about the coincidence of these two events and my mind begins to wander and wonder about the entanglement of all our lives across the globe and cant help but ask, is there really such a thing as a coincidence? Perhaps that is a conversation for another time though.

A few months later, a very talented musician/photographer friend of mine had a flood at her house and her camera collection, including her Canon 6D, fell victim to it. She gifted me the dead body and from the two non-working bodies I was now owner of, I was able to reconstruct a fully working one which is still in use to this day. The photo "Full Frame Phoenix" was taken the night that I finally finished the rebuild and my frankenstein 6D came to life.

RIP Dr. John. Thank you for all the beauty you gifted to the world. Have a great trip.

Order sent! I'll be in touch with answers to your questions or a tracking number. Thanks for the support!

"Full Frame Phoenix"
Summer 2020

Signed and numbered

18" x 12" (includes border shown)

Printed by LeZot Camera

Burlington, VT

$50

Includes USPS Priority Shipping

- or -

Free, safe delivery in Burlington, VT area

* to pay via Venmo or with cash on local delivery, select "Manual Payment" during checkout *

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