Photographing the Debut of Courage at Jon Batiste’s Salt Lake City Concert

The main song from our short film Courage was performed live for the very first time at a concert, and I had the chance to photograph it. Abraham Thomas opened Jon Batiste’s show in Salt Lake City with “Courage,” and it was such a fun moment to witness. I managed to squeeze right into the front row thanks to some super kind people who made room for me. Abraham did an incredible job—people around me kept saying how powerful his voice was.

After Abraham’s set, Jon’s concert was nonstop energy.! He was excited, playful, and clearly in love with music. Photographing him was so much fun! He moved from instrument to instrument, shared the spotlight with his band, and kept the audience engaged the entire night. I was also a little obsessed with his embellished overalls. He also brought out Andra Day, who looked stunning with flowers in her hair and absolutely blew everyone away with her voice. Watching her and Jon sing and play with music together was amazing.

The crowd around me added to the experience too. One man kept telling people who stopped right in front of me to move or look behind them so I could keep my view for photos. And behind me, a woman danced and sang with pure excitement the entire time. At the end, when Jon and his band walked through the crowd, I switched spots with her so she could meet him. She was absolutely beaming when he hugged her, and I made sure to get a photo of that moment for her.

From Abraham’s debut of “Courage” to Jon’s variety-filled set, I had so much fun with my camera!