James Brown, NYC, 1979

James Brown - Living in New York City, you have to be keen on where you walk and shoot. A photographer loaded down with equipment is an easy mark. I got a call from James Brown's record label to photograph him in Harlem for a benefit street concert. Cool, except the publicist said I better take the subway since the blocked-off streets prevented a taxi from getting anywhere close to the stage. I put everything I needed in a brown paper bag and took the subway up to the shoot; no one suspected that I was a photographer. The concert was incredible and the huge audience loved him. I got great preference shots for the label and I wanted to do something different. I went back stage when a song was over and yelled out 'James!' He turned around, saw me, and smiled. -- Richard E. Aaron Plus-X 125ASA 1/125sec. f/11 24mm lens. Available light.