We were lucky to catch up with Mike Dotson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mike thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Recently I was out capturing a local music festival. As with most festivals they span multiple days. During these days the are usually multiple bands playing their songs for the fans that traveled far and wide to see them and hopefully with a little luck and alot of work then can earn a few new fans.

There is time in between sets where all the bands equipment gets swapped from the band leaving the stage to the band up next. During this time it is an awesome opportunity for me to interact with the fans and learn where everyone is from and hear who they are there to see. It is so incredible to hear of the miles people will travel in order to see their favorite musicains perform. Sometimes they are local,sometimes they are out of state or from another country..Hell a few times it seemed as thought they were from another planet!

But getting to meet these people has become a huge enjoyment for me since I get to witness them in their moment and capture those pieces of time. I have had some very interesting outcomes with meeting these folks who are more often than not a little self medicated and ready to bust loose. They always think I know the bands and can get them backstage and or get autographs on their merch. It is one of the issues I face cause sometimes people think I am just blowing them off but I am there to shoot the show shakedown the artists.

Mike , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Kansas City Based photographer mostly covering live concerts in the area. Not only am I a photographer but more often than not I am a fan and supporter of the bands I am there to capture. I am easy to chat with when you see me out there. This is all still an ongoing journey for me with hopefully the biggest and best things on the horizon.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Recently at this festival I mentioned earlier without outing anyone I had a situation I had never expected to have arise when a security staff member left his post due to understaffing to cover another spot a young lady snuck through the barrier where the gentleman left and made it to the side stage and was shaking people down for autographs. I seen this gal slip through form about 15 yards away and thought, dang she is gonna get removed for that one.

Little did I know within a few minutes the production company I was working with approached me and stated that I would have to shoot the show from the crowd instead of the photo pit since I was deemed a security risk since I was letting people in…..”Wait what in the hell are you talkiing about? “”Well security said you let that girl in….” I could not believe this BS the security staff dropped the ball and then blamed the photgrapher who was at least half a stage away and there to take photos not police the rail. Needless to say I was pissed as I take my responsbilitles serious and understand the reasons for security protocols.

The words spoken after it occurred to be that I was not even getting a chance to speak for myself will not get aired here as it wasn’t cool msot of what came out- Basically I told them no If I am not shooting form the pit then I am out ant never coming back……After several moments of me going on a tangent and explining to all those fans that I had to leave I was asked by the same man of the production company if I would please stay. Apparently the Band Whiskey Myers Head of Seurity stood up for me and demanded I stay as I had no had in the incident. Thank you Sir!

I did however make sure I was sticking up for myself and the work that I do.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me it is why I capture that perfect shot weather it is of one of my favorite artists who I can’t believe I am actually capturing or someone new just starting out…but it is getting that time …when they are in the moment where maybe they forget where they are and just feel what they are playing-Music Heals!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikedotsonsit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikedotsonkc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikedotsonkc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeDotsonKC

Image Credits
All Images Shot my Me